Living In Place
Cucumbers, My Vegetable Love
It's clear Andrew Marvell never grew cucumbers in Vermont: the 17th-century metaphysical poet wrote, My vegetable love should grow/Vaster than empires and more slow.*We hedged...
Entering Contests
Like many writers, I’ve submitted short stories to contests, hoping that my work would win and fearing that my entry would be far outclassed. But I’ve not entered many contests,...
The Myth of the Empty Nest
Last year, my dad downsized from an independent two-bedroom apartment to an assisted two-room suite. This move involved shedding a great deal of Stuff: ancient mattresses went...
Summer, so brief.
Vermont in the summer: this season that’s so sweaty and so brief.We’re now in the thick of it: steamy days so humid you could squeeze water out of the air if only the weather...
Learning to Fish (and Write)
I’m learning to fish as part of a current writing project. The allure is two-fold: First, I’m exploring new ways to be in nature. Fishing – fly-casting, in particular – appeals...
The Second Time
The last time I hiked Mt. Equinox I’d just finished the first draft of my first novel, and I’d known Tim for less than a week. Last Sunday, we hiked it again, for the second time...