Sandy is a muted calico ― tan fur above her eyes and gray below, flank a white nose. She has an “I need you” look. When she purrs to wake me, I have to get up. She goes out. I make coffee. Then she returns to lead me to the bathroom. During my shower she [...]

His shirt says “Al.” He sips beer quietly ‘til two young women sit beside him. They return his smile, then greet two men. The couples chatter. Al counts bubbles. Finally one woman says ‘’I’ll see you there at eight…” Her three companions leave. Al makes an offer. She nods. They order. His hands make circles [...]

The art of guiding government was everyone’s job in our formative years. Today most citizens outsource it. Some lump it with religion as a subject not to be broached in polite society. That’s too bad. If we talked about official actions we might be familiar with more than a few topics of personal interest. Political [...]

A baby thinks about now, pre-schoolers understand tomorrow, by kindergarten the weekend comes into view. Summer and next year are clear to adolescents, but adults see occasions rather than seasons: Mary will go to college, in fifteen years. Middle age sharpens this focus ― we left after Mary’s graduation, I’ll go as soon as I [...]

When I was growing up no one laughed at Detroit. The arsenal of democracy ranked fourth or fifth among American cities. Proud to be a major target, we learned to identify every airplane in the sky so we could spot the enemy before he attacked. My home town built tanks, trucks, and planes from coat [...]

Bush avoids our judicial system at Gitmo, undermines the justice department, then wonders why Putin rejects his criticism of Russia derailing democratic reforms. He can’t understand why Putin objects to our putting missiles on his border even after assuring him they’re purely defensive ― part of a system that doesn’t work and isn’t needed. He’s [...]