When I was one-and-twenty I heard a wise man say, Give crowns and pounds and guineas, But not your heart away. Keep your fancy free… But, I was one-and-twenty, No use to talk to me.” When I Was One-and-Twenty, poem by A. E. Housman Have you ever met someone who’s commonly called a “Scrooge” –…
I don’t know how many have considered the power of one – person, place or thing – to influence, or in my case, totally salvage my life. It’s not something that you can easily point to and say, “Yes, that’s where it happened!” But, you often can remember the people involved. Looking back, I remember…
This is a story about how the west was won… and lost again. One day, we went shopping at an old building housing several antique businesses:everything from household to farm memorabilia… things that take you back in time. In my case, way back. Right in front of me was a Wild Bill Hickok replica gun…
It all began when a man from the church said their upcoming concert included a Stradivarius violin. Wow! Now that’s something that you don’t hear every day. Created and signed by Antonio Stradivari, they’re almost considered priceless. But, here’s the rub. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, for centuries after his death,…
When I was quite young, my grandfather gave me a small sign stating an old truism, “We are too soon old and too late smart.” Now, a grandfather myself, I’m starting to realize what that means. For instance, on the weekend, I played Monopoly (the board game where you buy and sell properties) with…
“Another one gone.” That was the response from a fellow musician upon learning that, Vaughn, my friend and former band-mate from the ‘60s, had passed away. The ‘60s? Say what!? Musically, for those of us who were teenagers, it was the time of our lives… everything was possible! Led by the Beatles’ music, the British…
It was my mother who passed on her love of music to me. She showed me that the magic of great music came from the heart. I learned that a terrific song has everything in balance: the tune, the words, and most importantly, a singer – capable of interpreting it for others. For example, Elvis…
Seems to me there are places where you grow up; places where you move to during your lifetime; and places where you finish up. There are endless variations of these patterns. I grew up in a medium size city with a small-town feel. However, I spent most of my pre-school years, and much of my…
As the story goes, when two dominant jungle cats – a tiger and a lion – met in the wilderness, the lion slowly retreated. Was it afraid? No. Each had the potential to kill the other; but, each valued life more. My mother use to say Uncle Lyle, “… had a temper if he wanted…
It must have been around the time my folks broke up – I was about 14 – when I first experienced acne. This has been such a routine problem with teenagers, that adults can often forget how devasting it can be to a teen’s psyche – the emotional toll on one’s self-esteem. And, I’m sure…
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