Introduction Back in 1927, Oscar Hammerstein set lyrics to Jerome Kern’s music and wrote “Fish got to swim, birds got to fly.” Since then, numerous artists have recorded the song, Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man, again and again. And it …
What We Have to Do: Writing for My Life Read more »
Introduction Yesterday, I didn’t feel up to snuff, or to anything else, for that matter. Today is slightly better, thanks largely to the roses, and lilies, and hollyhocks, oh my! that are blooming in my flower beds. Yesterday, I came …
Roses, and Lilies, and Hollyhocks, Oh My! Read more »
Introduction I used to wake every morning with a song playing in my head. That hasn’t happened for quite some time. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I woke to my own internal juke box. This morning, I …
Happy Days Are Here Again–But Why? Read more »
Last week, I took you through my school years at Portola Junior High in El Cerrito, California. Today, we’re still in El Cerrito, but this week looks at my high school years. My first job, marching band, taking courses at …
My El Cerrito Gaucho Years Read more »
The past few Saturdays, I’ve talked about the dogs who have shared my life. With the deaths of Major and Rocky, Digger had the house and yard to himself. Kevin had repeatedly said “No more dogs!” So imagine my surprise …
Having Three Dogs at Home Read more »
In 1965, Heifer Project offered Poppa the opportunity to play goatherd for a herd of 50 goats destined for Korea. Poppa said yes, but his health disagreed. Forced into the hospital for minor surgery, his hospitalization coincided with the departure …
Crossing the Pacific by Freighter Read more »
I’ve been to or through Tacoma and Pierce County, many times, but on October 3rd, 2016, Mike and I drove through on a photo excursion. If you want to read my Pierce County post from the Evergreen book, just click …
Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington Read more »
In June, 1962, Bishop Donald Harvey Tippett appointed Poppa to serve the El Cerrito California Community Methodist Church. We left Colusa and moved to the Bay Area. As I mentioned in last Sunday’s blog, the temperature inside our Colusa house …
El Cerrito California Read more »
Last Saturday, I wrote about the first four MinPins who lived with me in Missoula. Today, I want to talk about four more MinPins. Counting Dinah from my childhood and Jr., a MinPin cross, ten MinPins have made a major …
April is the cruellest month, breedingLilacs out of the dead land, mixingMemory and desire, stirringDull roots with spring rain. Those are the opening four lines of Eliot’s poem The Waste Land which you can read in full on the Poetry …
Poetry on an April morning Read more »