Category Archives: Just Thinking

For a brief while this morning, the outdoor temperature will be tolerable. At the moment, according to my computer and according to my thermometer, the air temperature is 72F. I can vouch for that; I went outside earlier, where I … Continue reading →

I feel a need to capture discrete moments, incidents and ideas that grab me by the lapels and slap me in the face. In no particular order: One of my brothers was told by his doctor he has bladder cancer; … Continue reading →

A long stretch of desolate beach, barely visible in the budding sunrise. Miles of sand, unsullied by tire tracks or footprints. Early in the morning, before the heat of the day causes gusty winds, the stillness of the air is … Continue reading →

I awoke to witchcraft this morning. I witnessed the effects of heat traveling through wires protruding from wounds in the wall. The heat caused water to boil and chickens’ eggs to congeal and harden in response. Heat from another source, … Continue reading →

The next New Moon will occur on Wednesday this week, coinciding with the next  Black Moon at the same time, 10:11 p.m. Central time. A New Moon occurs when the Sun and Moon are aligned, with the Sun and Earth … Continue reading →

The U.S. Department of Agriculture first printed its “Special Report on Diseases of the Horse” in 1890. It was reprinted in 1896 and later revised and reprinted in 1903, 1908, 1911, and finally in 1916. The 1916 edition, and possibly … Continue reading →

Scraps of paper hide the scarred wood of my corner desk. A well-organized person would have placed the sheets of paper in piles, ordered by subject, but I paid no heed to organization. I left each sheet where it fell … Continue reading →

I suspect that many people have at least one secret they are unwilling or unable to share with anyone, even the person (or the people) closest to us. Sometimes, I wonder whether we might be unwilling to share it even … Continue reading →

Some people see the world through rose-colored glasses. I do not. But, recently, when the phrase came to mind for unknown reason, I decided to explore its origin. Early in my search, I found reference to Labyrinth of the World … Continue reading →

We sometimes vent frustrations in ways that make sense only to us. Others look at us as if we’d stopped on the side of the road, spread a tablecloth on the ground, taken out a knife and fork, and dined on … Continue reading →

I think—somewhere among the two thousand, three hundred and six posts I have made to this blog since I created it—seeds worthy of sprouting clamor for attention. Yes, I know; I go back and forth between thinking I will always … Continue reading →

Festering rage. Seething hatred. Scalding fury. Bristling contempt. Loathing amplified by a factor of fifty, ramped up by an exponent equivalent to the temperature of the sun. Hatred with an intensity that would vaporize diamonds and turn a ball of … Continue reading →

I associate ‘squalls’ with sailing on open water. The word prompts me to think of explosive bursts of wind and rain that put sailboats in danger of capsizing. ‘Squalls’ triggers memories of my teenage years, living just a few blocks … Continue reading →

I brined the turkey breast. My favorite wife prepared the broccoli and rice casserole (I chopped the jalapeños). Tomorrow morning, I will fire up the smoker and get to work. Five and one half-hours after I put the fractional bird … Continue reading →

We cannot begin to imagine the way communities of ants or seagulls or squirrels function. We assume, if they function in communities at all, they operate according to genetic encoding over which they have no control; they are “animals,” after … Continue reading →

We sometimes keep meaningless records longer than necessary. Much longer than necessary. As my wife was going through some old papers this morning in preparation for shredding paperwork we no longer need, she came upon a folder with records of … Continue reading →

My wedding anniversary approaches. In a matter of days, my wife and I will have been married for  thirty-seven years. We will have lived together for between thirty-eight and forty years by then (I don’t recall precisely when we began “living in … Continue reading →

Yesterday, I ordered samples of several products that, if their promises hold, could transform the appearance of our fireplace and, perhaps, the look of the brick on our house. As I wrote a few days ago, I was considering putting … Continue reading →

Tomorrow is the first day of April. Perhaps that transition will give me the kick in the rear I need. I need to work on the yard, the driveway, the deck, the bathrooms, the roof, the garage, and the workspace … Continue reading →

I spent an enjoyable evening at a dinner for eight. My wife and I joined six other people from the Village Unitarian Universalist Church for conversation, camaraderie, and a very nice meal to which all participants contributed. The view from … Continue reading →

I’ve not been in the mood to write lately. It’s not that I have writer’s block; it’s just that I’ve had nothing I wanted to write, either fiction or nonfiction. That happens from time to time. So I allow myself … Continue reading →

I sit in a dark room, waiting for my wife to awaken so I might emerge from the darkness into the day. Until she is up, I must slink around in the darkness of the B&B room, keeping quiet and … Continue reading →

I spent a little time this morning reading that “the good old days” were fresh and clean and innocent. The old days were unlike the era in which we live, an era in which war on prayer and decency and decorum threatens … Continue reading →

The reason behind my refusal or inability to complete projects remains a mystery. It is not laziness. I am not lazy; I will work long and hard to accomplish tasks that must be done. No, it’s not sloth; I suspect … Continue reading →

Have you ever wondered about the origins of clothing? Well of course you have. In fact, if you’re like me, the subject is on your mind this morning as you ponder the circumstances that triggered ideas that led to the … Continue reading →

Once again, I come to the conclusion that I do not need a pickup truck. Nor do I need a table saw, a drill press, a chop saw, or a shaper/planer. Not only do I not need any of these … Continue reading →

“I think I’m turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese, I really think so…” Those words are from the lyrics of a 1980 tune called Turning Japanese, by the Vapors. From the moment I heard that tune, as nonsensical as … Continue reading →

Last night, my wife and her sister and I talked about our memories of Christmases past and, especially, Christmas gifts. I do not recall many of the Christmas gifts I received over the years. As much as I know they were … Continue reading →

You may or may not wonder, “What has John learned from his experience writing this blog?” That’s a question I often ask myself. My answers, when I choose to give them, vary from day to day. They range from “absolutely nothing” … Continue reading →

At four minutes past three this morning, when I walked outside on the back deck and looked skyward, I was treated to an amazing, spectacular vision. It was as if the stars had not hidden themselves behind the ambient light beneath … Continue reading →

This evening, I watched a news broadcast. Something was said in the broadcast, I don’t remember quite what, that triggered vague memories of a number of news items in days and months and years past. These news items involved people … Continue reading →

I know just a little about scorpions (alacránes in Spanish) thanks in part to my chance encounter with a mother scorpion and her brood of about a dozen babies upon arriving at a bed & breakfast in a village in Mexico a … Continue reading →

  I remind myself frequently, if not always intentionally, that I do not know the struggles others face. I am not privy to the personal challenges, the emotional tribulations, or the overwhelming depressions that might explain the behavior of other … Continue reading →

I have more to say. More memories to document so as to more easily bring them to the surface later when I need them. Or want them. Yesterday, the couple who introduced to me the idea of moving to Hot … Continue reading →

I sometimes think it is next to impossible to read people. Not infrequently, when I think I have a clear sense of how a person thinks or feels about an issue, his or her behavior—suggesting my reading was utterly off the mark—surprises me. … Continue reading →

For reasons I do not entirely understand, I have a habit of periodically reading articles about the restaurant industry. I have never owned a restaurant nor have I ever worked in one, but the industry has an odd appeal, though ‘appeal’ may not be … Continue reading →

This morning’s cool temperatures remind me that summer is winding down; if it were to wind down quickly, I would not complain. Coupled with blue skies and lower humidity, today’s cool start triggered an earnest interest in walking. Today, unfortunately, … Continue reading →

The morning’s routine began early, a bit before five o’clock. An attempt to go back to sleep after a 4:30 pee break was unsuccessful so I slid out of bed, pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and … Continue reading →

The ‘lesson too late for the learning’ is the hardest one. And it’s not alone; it runs in herds that, if one lets them, will consume a person until all he sees are his mistakes, the ones that cannot be unmade. But if … Continue reading →