Has it really been almost two years since we were last inside the Blue Line? Last year, our 10th anniversary Caribbean cruise completely wiped out the vacation budget, and then my essay on hiking the Adirondacks was published in The Conservationist last fall; a vicarious visit at best. We just returned from the Adirondacks last …
Inspiration
“We the people…”
In three days, our country will celebrate 236 years since a group of middle-aged, fairly well-off white guys declared independence from a super-rich white guy they had never even met. It boiled down to this: They didn’t much care to fork over their hard-earned money to someone who did little beyond dress well, eat well, …
Timing: “Man plans; God laughs.”
It’s a Yiddish proverb, meaning roughly that while we scurry around trying to mold our lives into a certain shape, we fail to acknowledge that there are unknown forces/random chance at work that are likely to derail our efforts. I don’t know that we should view that as proof of a toying God, or that …
Providence; Or, how God is still speaking
I am a member of a UCC church – United Church of Christ, a blend of Congregational, Christian, Evangelical and Reformed denominations. We roll fairly liberal, siding with progressive just-causes and civil equality since the mid-17th century. Some may think this makes us “Christianity-lite.” Others don’t think much of us at all, lumping us in …
Supermoon
Or, as the scientists call it, perigee-syzygy. It happens when the moon’s elliptical orbit swings about 15,000 miles closer to earth than usual, and coincides with a full moon. The result is a moon that appears noticeably larger and brighter than usual. Those conditions together with a clear night make for a spectacular show. In …
Surprise Ending
There is a story I know about what happens when someone ordinary proposes an extraordinary idea. So extraordinary that it completely rocks the foundations of all politics, societal conventions, and economic pursuits. It’s a simple concept, but a real axis-tilter. This idea sprouts from a decision to reject systems that oppress people based on a …
Adventures in Babysitting: Matched
Now in the third week of after-school nephew duty, we are settled into a routine. As he puts away his shoes and washes his hands, I unpack his backpack and check his daybook to see if K. had a Five Penny day (excellent behavior). This week he had a Four Penny day, due to playing …
Adventures in Babysitting: Part-Time Gig
March is unusually warm this year in the northeast, drenching recent days in sunshine that has beckoned to the crocuses to come out and play. This has been fortuitous, as my new boss demands that we spend much of our time outdoors. My new boss is seven years old. My nephew K. is in first …