I think I’ll work at the cafe tomorrow. I really need to get out and see some people! (The next morning:)  Eh. Looks cold out. Good day to work from home. _____ Wow. That was a great blog post. I’m an amazing writer! (15 minutes later:)  Nobody’s liked my post!?! I’m a fraud! A…

My childhood home was surrounded by woods and undeveloped land, which provided limitless possibilities for exploration and adventure. On any given day you could find me my friends stomping around out in the great outdoors searching for fossils or tracking Bigfoot. Thanks to my infatuation with Indiana Jones, most of the time I’d be on a dangerous archaeological mission…

Credit: Alan Freed Photography Unlike some of the horror stories I’ve heard about Catholic school teachers, ours were pretty much harmless. For the most part. Actually, at S.S.P.P. the teachers suffered way more than the students. We made sure of that. You see, by the time I was in grade school, corporal punishment had become politically…

I remember my first day of 1st grade distinctly.    I arrived late because I missed the bus, and Sr. Peggy kindly escorted me to Mrs. Gump’s room. As I walked through the door, twenty-some fresh faces turned to look at me as they stood behind their desks, ready to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. For some kids, this…

I’m so excited and honored to have one of my old stories – “Ghost Train” – featured on one of my favorite paranormal podcasts (yes, I listen to several), Blurry Photos! Host David Flora did a wonderful job of reading my spooky tale for Episode 272: Ghost Stories 11. Check it out through this link (http://www.blurryphotos.org/ep-272…

A couple days ago I learned of the untimely passing of one of my best childhood friends, Arthur Russell “Rusty” “Russ” Wilbur. I thought I’d share a few stories of our time together, which was during some of the best years of my life. I first met Russ when I was maybe 7 years old. I was out in…

Ever since my kids were very young, I’ve been dreading one day becoming an empty nester. I just figured it would happen years from now. Oh, the kids are still home. We still have several years before they officially fly the coop. The nest I’m talking about is an actual nest, a robin’s nest, which is just…

“I thought you were brushing your teeth?” The Animal called out from his bedroom, as I reached the top step. My wife and daughter weren’t home yet, but it was late and my son was already in bed and waiting for me to tuck him in. I answered him from across the way in his sister’s room, where…

Back when I was a kid, I was captivated by the 1985 movie “The Goonies,” which follows a group of kids on a perilous but thrilling adventure in search of hidden treasure. If only something like that could happen to me in my hometown! Alas, the only treasure-hunting adventures took place in my imagination, as I explored the dark…

The first time Boogieface asked for a dog she was just three years old. Not gonna happen, we said. But she persisted. So we told her she could get one when she turned 10.  Lying to your kids is one of the many privileges of parenthood. Of course when 10 rolled around, there was still no way we were gonna…