Category Archives: musing
Resolutions
I did make a New Year’s resolution once. When I was working on my first novel, The Mud of the Place, and desperately afraid that I’d never finish it, I resolved that I would work on it every day until it was done. Note … Continue reading
Political Packaging
“What is a fascist — other than someone you don’t like?” That’s how the great Jack Reece (1941–1997), my Modern European History professor at the University of Pennsylvania, opened his lecture on Nazism and Fascism. Nervous tittering rippled through the … Continue reading
Shotgun Season
Deer Week has rolled around again. As noted last year in “Blaze Orange,” Deer Week is almost two weeks long — this year it runs from Monday, November 30, through Saturday, December 12 — and it’s not the only time … Continue reading
Recognition Rocks
Ordinarily I don’t do awards, but hey, recognition is good, especially when it comes from a peer one respects, so thank you for nominating me, Charles French, whose blog, Charles French: Words, Reading, and Writing, I’m a faithful follower of. … Continue reading
November 11
Veterans Day 2015. Blustery and wet on Martha’s Vineyard: the parade was cancelled, and the annual ceremony was moved inside to the VFW hall in Oak Bluffs. November 11 was my uncle Neville’s birthday. He was a gentle, soft-spoken guy, … Continue reading
Real Life Isn’t 20/20
Hot — OK, lukewarm — news item in the Vineyard Gazette: “Midnight Farm Manager Charged with Theft.” No, this is not about the security guard at an all-night agricultural establishment, and the individual was not charged with rustling sheep. Midnight Farm … Continue reading
Going to Church
When I moved to Martha’s Vineyard, I wasn’t surprised by the number of churches. The town I grew up in west of Boston, population about 10,000, had one for every denomination I’d ever heard of at the time (which isn’t … Continue reading
Undercover in the Summerland
Ta-Nehisi Coates might be the best, most challenging, most important writer I’ve read in years. I’ve been following his blog on TheAtlantic.com for a while now. His Atlantic essay “The Case for Reparations” is must-reading for anyone on the verge of rage … Continue reading
30 Changeovers
It’s changeover weekend — the 30th anniversary of my arrival on Martha’s Vineyard to take a year off. Ha ha ha. I’d saved enough money to live for a year and to buy my first PC — a Leading Edge Model … Continue reading
When I’m 64
That would be today, and for the next 364 days until I turn 65. I love birthdays on Facebook. People from all the nooks, crannies, and corners of my life check in with birthday greetings and remind me of all … Continue reading
From the Seasonally Occupied Territories . . . 