Author Archives: John Swinburn

It’s relatively late for an early morning blog post, so this will be short. But short is a relative term, isn’t it? If visits to specialists weren’t so damn expensive, I’d make my plans to visit an ophthalmologist or dermatologist … Continue reading →

Several lines of thunderstorms passed through this afternoon with heavy downpours, high winds, bolts of lightning, and cracks of thunder that rattle the rafters and my bones. I love watching and listening to the power of Mother Nature. In spite … Continue reading →

Last night, my wife and our house guest and I talked about our memories of childhood. As usual, my memories of my earlier years left me with little to say. I remember only snippets that mean virtually nothing to me. … Continue reading →

When I got out of bed this morning, a good hour after I first awoke, I went outside to hang the hummingbird feeders. The outside temperature felt so much better than inside. Inside, the thermometer registers 77 degrees; outside, 68. … Continue reading →

Once again, I am alone in the early morning darkness, the house bathed in the kitchen’s light. My wife and our house guest are asleep, as one would expect at such an ungodly hour, and I am alone with my … Continue reading →

May 2007. My only visit to Moscow. My only visit to Russia. I stayed at the Golden Ring Hotel. Aside from a horrifying white-knuckle trip via taxi from the airport to the hotel, not much stands out about the trip … Continue reading →

Early this year, a Facebook friend (who was, first, a fellow blogger) added me to a Facebook group of “back when” bloggers. The group was created, as I understand it, to generate “conversations” between bloggers about their posts. You know … Continue reading →

The arrival of today’s weekly newspaper brought with it news of a black bear sighting. In addition, it offered additional confirmation that the Village is experiencing an unusual spike in the population of migrating Baltimore Orioles. I’d never seen a … Continue reading →

I learned last night of the death of a man with whom I had rare interactions for a period of about eleven years. He was the husband of a woman with whom I had much more frequent contact, as she … Continue reading →

Sometime recently, I don’t know just when or how—maybe online, maybe on television, maybe on the radio—I heard a tune I haven’t heard in years. Baby Elephant Walk from the movie Hatari. Listening to it triggered a memory of watching … Continue reading →

I was up before 4:30 this morning, a not uncommon experience of late. Unlike most days, though, I did not write in my blog. This morning’s output remains close to my vest, where it ought to be. Some things one … Continue reading →

Yesterday, Janine was under the weather (suffering from allergies, I should say), so our plans went to hell in a handbasket. I spend most of the day hanging around the house, trying to be quiet so she could sleep, which … Continue reading →

The divide between progressives and conservatives isn’t entirely a schism of opposing principles. While I believe plenty of conservatives do, indeed, live in a parallel universe in which my “bad” is their “good” and vice versa, that’s not true of … Continue reading →

When, after a full meal, a taste of dessert whets an insatiable appetite for a month of meals, one regrets dessert. Well, not always. We spent half the day and the evening yesterday with friends in Franklin, Tennessee. The “full … Continue reading →

The time fast approaches for our tamalada, the tamale party we offered to our church auction. The offering garnered three winning bids, so we’ll have three couples joining us on Cinco de Mayo (cheesy cultural appropriation, I know, but it’s … Continue reading →

We spent much of the day wandering toward Tupelo, Mississippi, mostly on back roads in Arkansas and Mississippi. Except for the occasional spawn of satan (let me go on record that I do not believe in satan, but I do … Continue reading →

I spent the majority of the day yesterday undertaking what I expected to be a one or two hour job to repair to the wood floor in the master bath. The job is not complete, nor will it be complete … Continue reading →

Our Meatless Tuesday is here again, earlier this month because it changed from the fourth to the third Tuesday. This was our first time hosting the group and this Tuesday also represents the last day of my wife’s volunteer tax preparation … Continue reading →

Have you ever wondered, after learning of reactions to something you said or wrote, whether you came across as unlikable? Or that, maybe, what you said or wrote didn’t come across as you intended? Or that your attempts to be … Continue reading →

I’ve never been a big sports fan. I can’t explain why. My folks watched football and baseball on television (after we finally got television), and some of my siblings were big fans of team sports. But I’ve never been a … Continue reading →