Rats In The Belfry.

The noises are still going on in my house, but I have given up the idea that Willard 2 is being filmed secretly in my walls. It all started when winter set upon us. I had read somewhere that almost a third of all American homes experience a rodent problem at some...

Friend or Faux?

As most of you know, I am family challenged. Thirty-five years ago, my brothers ended their relationship with me, all because I had my hand in someone else’s cookie jar, a hand in jar that would lead me to divorce while I was still something of a child. Years...

A Life Well Lived.

I’ve always had the hope that when it comes time to finally leave this big blue ball, I will stand at the gates and be asked one simple question: “Did you enjoy your life?” I have made that my life’s goal, in large part because of my brother...

Mom.

My mom died this morning (Nov. 12). I always love how people on Facebook readily share stuff like this. Sure, I’m an open book. I write about my entire life, the good, the bad, the ugly. And yet, I can’t post that my mom has died. It’s not that it...

To Have And Half Not.

When I was in Vegas playing my piratical guts out, I happened to get a call from someone in town. It’s a funny thing these days, getting calls that show you where someone is calling from, and often, if the person is known to you, you even know who it is...

Roomies.

My daughter has always had a way of being an absolute “truth teller” with me. While she tries to avoid it as much as possible when it’s not required, she has a way of leveling me with a broadside whenever it suits the moment and she thinks I need an...

Can You Say I Don’t?

Everyone has their fond wedding memories. Mine are more hilarious than fond, at least the first time I walked down, or should I say around, the aisle. I was married at St. Madeleine Sophie in Bellevue. This was in the 1970s and having a church in the round was a very...

The Son Also Rises.

Over this last weekend, I was reminded of the birth of my son almost 14 years ago. It was one of those stories that I still have a chuckle over, largely because like nearly all stories of children coming into this world, this one didn’t go according to plan. We...

My Best CommuniCreations.

A lot of people think I’m a pretty creative guy, and looking at some of the things I’ve done over the years, I guess I can finally own that. I mean, how many people have created a tank out of a 1962 Ford Galaxie or convinced an employer that they should...

The Big Mook. An Ode To Dog.

I have had two dogs in my lifetime. Both really were man’s best friend. Well, Barney was actually a boy’s best friend. I got him when I was 12. Our family dog had died recently and my aunt wanted to get me a new dog, one that I could call my own. She saw...