Memory is a perplexing phenomenon. Some things stick, and others don’t. That stickiness is often attributed to the importance we ascribe to the event, but I think there are other factors at play… I was taken aback recently by a simple question that conjured a memory of an insignificant event with a vividness that surprised me. I was listening to a podcast episode of “Good … [Read more...] about Tiki Redux
Shadows of the Distant Past
Signs of life linger on the land. Like shadows that grow longer as the day slips into night, the stories of past generations spread across the landscape waiting for the blazing light of curiosity to coax them from the darkness. Perched on the slope of Mount Weather, an ancient timepiece sits quietly marking the passage of the sun. The stone day clock, built from boulders … [Read more...] about Shadows of the Distant Past
A Rite of Spring
Spring bursts forth, sometimes from fresh seeds and sometimes from roots that were established many years before. During my first semester at George Mason University, I was fortunate enough to stumble into a college course that had a profound effect on me. The course was listed as “Altered States of Consciousness in American and English Literature.” It turned out to be a … [Read more...] about A Rite of Spring
Frost Protection via Amazon.com
Changes in consumer shopping habits have forever altered the face of the retail experience. Amazon has led the way with its Prime subscription. With it, many items we would typically buy in brick-and-mortar stores can instead be delivered to our door for the same price and quite often for even less. While businesses grapple to deal with the new reality, one unforeseen … [Read more...] about Frost Protection via Amazon.com
Implements of Destruction
In the 23-minute satirical song “Alice’s Restaurant,” Arlo Guthrie makes mention of having to clean up a pile of trash with “implements of destruction.” It was a term I became instantly fond of because the line between productive work and wanton destruction can be particularly tenuous when hand tools are involved. I remember one tool that I spent a lot of time with that was … [Read more...] about Implements of Destruction