Category Archives: Essays

Remembering Otis

    Remembering Otis Otis died on this very day, six years ago. It was a Monday. Otis was my best friend ever. I’ve never had a better one. But how can I tell you about a friendship that lasted more than a decade so you will understand? There were so many things Otis and I did together.… Read More »

Instant Gratification Stole the Milkman

    Instant Gratification Stole the Milkman I’m all for a little progress. Heck, I wouldn’t be here ranting if it weren’t for some clever fella figuring out how to allow grumpy old men to rant over the internet. But progress, in my book, doesn’t mean trading quality for the kind of fleeting convenience that leaves you feeling… Read More »

The Man in the Black Suit

    The Man in the Black Suit One of life’s great blessings is that not one of us knows the exact day we will die. Well, at least I think so. I could not imagine being a teenager and knowing how many years I would live or the date of my death. That would take away the… Read More »

From a Distance

    From a Distance We can’t measure anyone… or anything at all Long ago, when I was a musician, I used to have an affinity for folk-rock. Although The Beatles were my favorite band, I really like The Eagles, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, and other folk-rock songwriters and composers who have slipped the surly bonds of my… Read More »

Avoiding the D Word

  Avoiding the D Word The other day I was talking to one of my sons and I said something like “If something happens to me”. I told him something I wanted him to do in the event of my demise. The older I get the more references I make to my eventual demise. I really don’t know… Read More »

Thoughts On a Beautiful Spring Day

  Thoughts On a Beautiful Spring Day I was walking the other day on the wooden boardwalk that winds through the woods near my home. It was a lovely – almost perfect – spring day. It was the kind of day you pay no attention to because it’s so perfect. It’s not too cold, it’s not too warm,… Read More »