If you spent a weekend with the crew at Grandma Fischer’s, you spent it their way. Growing up, more than a few of my weekends went like this: Saturday night was Lawrence Welk, then whatever cop show was on, then everybody got to bed, on time. Sunday morning call came on time. And so forth…… Continue reading Shortstops, Libraries and Tyler Avenue
Category: This Whole Writing Thing
Behind: “First Rodeo”
If you were around a century or so ago, and you knew him well, you might call him Bill. On a legal document, William Sidney Porter. If you read any of his 300+ published stories, you knew him by his pen name: O. Henry. The name now commands a prestigious short story award, but more than anything, his work effectively trademarked…… Continue reading Behind: “First Rodeo”
Behind: “Two Bad Hamiltons and a Hirsute Jackson”
Violet Celucci is a better angel and an inner demon. A frigging genius is how Vi might describe herself, a bastion of sanity in a disorderly world, a process improvement-seeking missile. An over-obsessed stickler for efficiency is how she’d never describe herself. Sorry, Vi. The truth hurts, and so can life. Tough as you are, I see the breaks in your armor. I…… Continue reading Behind: “Two Bad Hamiltons and a Hirsute Jackson”
Sweet Roam, Alabama
They had me at “rolling tailgate party.” There it was in plain print in the invite. Please join us down here in Alabama, the organizers said, and don’t worry about Friday night icebreakers because Margaret’s rolling tailgate party had things covered. Yes, I admit envisioning some mechanical lovechild of liquor cart meets Bama game, but…… Continue reading Sweet Roam, Alabama