“Do you think it will work?” Lettie eyed the small bottle into which I was decanting a thin gray liquid from a small cauldron, roughly the volume of a large muskmelon. Taking great care not to disturb the sediment that precipitated to the bottom, I slowly and carefully filled the…

And other odd Dad behaviors explained. — “What are those?” my wife asked, looking at me with a slightly horrified expression as I put away my laundry. “What are what?” I ask. “These,” she said, holding up a pair of white crew socks with a gray toe and matching heel. “They’re socks,” I said. “They’re very comfortable.”…

How audiobooks can improve your writing — Audiobooks were a hard sell for me. I couldn’t be convinced that listening to someone else read a book could be as gratifying as reading it myself. Unlike George Costanza, I enjoy the sound of my voice. For me, reading has always been more than entertainment. The experience is transcendental…

Adventure awaits just beyond the wall — At the far end of the garden, there stood a stone wall whose ancient edifice was covered by creeping vines. A stately elm tree grew just outside the wall on the bank of a brook that ran East to West along the length of the property. Robert often sat with…

How (not) to behave at the drive-thru — I hate to admit it, but I drink coffee from Starbucks far too often. It’s overpriced, especially how I drink it — black. And I don’t think that the way they do business is ecologically friendly, no matter how much I want to convince myself that leaving bags of grounds…

Chapter 1 — It was Wednesday. Nick liked Wednesdays. Most people feel that Wednesday is the tipping point of the week, the point where the end was in sight. Not Nick. Nick believed that Wednesday was the real beginning of the week. That was the day he could pick up the paper and…

Writing from my heart to find myself — Writing has always been a passion of mine. I’ve often dreamt of writing something truly great. I never thought about where a story like that would come from, I had just assumed it would. As a child, I wrote stories that were homages to my favorite movies and books. As…

A new cat in the family can bring a lot of changes — One of the great joys of cat ownership for me has been the laisse-faire attitude one can adopt with a cat. They’re generally self-sufficient. Cats are the set-it-and-forget-it pet. They provide you with joy and company, but they don’t demand your constant attention. …

The ritual of purchasing a Valentine’s Day card has always proven difficult for me. I feel strongly about my Valentine and can never find a card that perfectly matches my sentiments. No matter what I choose, I always feel like I’ve settled for less than perfect. I see the same…