Come on up and see us sometime

Thirty years ago in New Mexico, we were the epicenter of solar research and conservation efforts. Oil has been cheap since then and people didn’t really care anyway. That’s all changed. If you are looking for people who’ve been walking the walk for years, come on up and see us sometime. We have a lot [...]

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Fern

He carried the body fireman style until he found a spot carpeted with ferns and fragrant with lavendar. With a grunt he dropped the body near a Douglas Fir sapling.
He unfolded a short, camping shovel from his belt, bent and dug. Within an hour, he had a hole that would do. He dragged the body [...]

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Sweet Potato Pie

There was no sweet potato pie on the dessert table. I looked twice, searching among the cakes and pies and brownies and cookies, because it was my favorite.
I turned back to the chatting crowd of parishioners behind me and scanned for Marion’s face. She was as missing as her signature pie.
I dropped my plate where [...]

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Evening Person

Mary emerged from my guest bedroom at 6 AM. I would drive her to the airport in about 30 minutes. She walked unsteadily and her eyes weren’t quite focused. My cheery, “Good morning,” earned me a faint grunt in response. I handed her a big glass of orange juice. She dropped in a chair and [...]

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Morning person

She woke at 5:53 AM. There was no alarm clock in her cabin. Wide awake, she slid her feet into slippers, donned a robe, and went to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. While it perked she took a shower and dressed. She ate a quick breakfast, filled a thermos with coffee, and [...]

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An apology

I’m going to write more than 50ish words today. It’s my blog, I can blog if I want to.
I’ve been thinking about my high school days, my school days, my generation. This line of thought was brought about by an upcoming high school reunion. A big one. THE big number.
When I was growing up, it [...]

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Geezers

I graduated from high school in a town famous for its cantaloupes and watermelons, a place where summer fun for teens often included a raid on a melon patch for a late night snack. Now we are a bunch of geezers, buying our melons in the grocery store and thinking about a reunion for those [...]

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Chamber of Commerce Speech

Hiking is great around here, but we are at 5000 feet. Albuquerque sits right on the flank of the Sandia mountain to our east. Every east-bound city street ends in a parking lot near trails up into the hills. Many people climb all the way to Sandia Peak, but I’ve never been bold enough to [...]

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The Best Time

Flipping back through the memories piled up by living life, I should be able to pick out some really good times. I should be able to say, “That day, I was really happy.” Yet I can’t. I had them: good days and bad days, good times and bad times. But nothing leaps up to mean [...]

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Next time

The next time
I think I’m being
Taken advantage of
I will speak up.
The next time
I meet someone
Who seems likeable
I will invite them out.
The next time
I feel energetic
I will walk up and down
With camera in hand.
The next time
I feel tired
I will stop to rest
And forgo the caffeine.
Please leave a comment with your first 50 words on the topic [...]

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