I am a self-confessed compulsive writer. Lately, my compulsiveness has been commandeered by cottage building. Carpentry ruled my mind and my time. Then early last week I had my first accident, falling off scaffolding and injuring my leg. A plantaris muscle tear I suppose with a hematoma behind my knee. I used to be a…

I’m a lucky guy; I have the luxury of living on a lake. The lake is still wild despite 1/3 of his shore being privately owned. But the rules of lake living are strict, leaving wildlife feeling quite comfortable on our waters. Otters, beavers, racoons, deer, coyotes, sea gulls, Great Blue Herons, and many more.…

I’ve written about Denise being an excellent mother, and it is almost Mother’s Day. However, Denise is much more than a mother. I’ve also written here about Denise (and others) as great caregivers. She is much more than that too. But I wanted to take a minute to talk about Denise as a wife. There…

I want to thank those five readers (so far) who responded to my request for Amazon reviews. It was my gut reaction to a very negative review, based on the fact some of the characters used profanities (btw, which does happen in real life) and not on the quality of the writing. So, a punitive…

Someone today gave The Stones of Yemen a one-star rating on Amazon. Previously all reviews have been 5-stars. They gave it such a low rating, without finishing the book, because some of the characters use profanities. I’ve been very clear. I adore reality. Non-religious people in the real world use profanities when they are stressed.…

I am a very novice carpenter, trying to build a small house all by myself. Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned in the past few weeks: Mike

I’ve written on suffering before, but at this juncture I feel I can take more liberties, because I’m not suffering. Not much. So I don’t have the inherent fear that I’ll be perceived as wallowing in self-pity. But I’ve made observations of how other people handle suffering and remember how it felt when it was…

Sorry to do two posts in one day, but here goes:

My labs just returned. While I live a life on thin ice, I am happy to celebrate my 11th month of cancer remission. It makes Friday and all day today in the hospital doing infusions worth it. I hope to get back to cottage building by this evening and I will post an update later…