Harkening: The Returning

The rain had stopped by the time daylight came to the deep forest. In its place floated a heavy mist that danced among the treetops. 'Lives in Woods' crawl out of the hollow and stretched. He had slept wee despite being unable to lay down. Embers still glowed lightly below the layer of ash in his …

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Why I’m Voting for Chuck Allen

With two ‘Chuck Allen for Washoe County Sheriff’ signs in my front yard, it is hard not to tell who I intend to vote for in the upcoming election. I know, have work with and genuinely like Chuck and that helped me come to my decision. But there is more. While I do not know …

Harkening: The Ending

What has actually happened, none of us really know. We’ve been cut-off from all outside information for days now. I jus’ know we are suffering the effects of an E-M-P – an electrical magnetic pulse. It started while I was sitting at our computer, typing a story for my blog. I had the television on …

Harkening: The Finding

This series of five short-stories is based on reoccurring 'night terrors' I've been having for the past few months. The way I'm figuring it -- maybe, jus' maybe -- if I write it down and share it then it'll go away. 'Lives in Woods' looked up at the gray sky as droplets of rain fell on …

Poor Monica’s Dilemma

It occurred to me as I listened to Monica Lewinsky speak about her sexual escapades with former President and current Democratic rock-star Bill Clinton. In her talk, she blamed the Internet, Matt Drudge and the media with bullying her. But not once did I hear her during her monologue, take true responsibility for her actions. …

Three Books

Democratic incumbent Senator Mark Udall of Colorado, “was unable to name three books that influenced his life…and blamed his lack of an answer on being ‘brain-dead,’ reports the Washington Free Beacon. The same thing happened to Sarah Palin when asked what newspapers or magazines she reads, “Umm – all of them.” If put on the …

Raking Leaves

As I continue to watch the leaves drop from the trees, I'm reminded of a book given to me by our neighbor and my sisters’ God-mother, Margaret Keating, when I was 16 years old. Printed in 1903, it contained hundreds of Haiku and assorted short stories. A few years later, it disappeared, stolen by former landlord. Anyway, one story …

Arcata Resident Randy Markin Missing

The Arcata Police are searching for Randy Markin, who disappeared last Friday afternoon. A friend told authorities that he saw him at the Intermodal Transit Facility between two and three. Randy graduated from Del Norte High a year before I did. He is a decorated U.S. Coast Guard veteran and is trying to collect a …

Sam Jacobi’s Turn

His head throbbed beyond belief and he was certain that if he could see in the dark, where ever he was, it would be spinning. The air hung heavy with the stench of dried blood, vomit, human feces, fear and death. Sam Jacobi also realized his wrists were clamps in metal bracelets and attached to …

When Tree’d

About half-an-hour into one of my favorite movies, “Big Trees,” ‘Yukon’ Burns, played by actor Edgar Buchanan, interrupts an outdoor church service. He politely listens as the church elder quotes Luke 10:27, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might,” to which Burns …

A Possible Paiute Story

The story, "Tribal Memories of the Flying Saucers," written by Oge-Make, a Navaho Indian, recounts a Paiute story about flying saucers and extraterrestrial beings, and appeared in a 1948 issue of FATE magazine. Interestingly enough the same story appears in a book by Bourke Lee, called "Death Valley Men,” published in 1932. There is very little information on Bourke other …

Life Lesson #8

Stop beating yourself up over old mistakes. We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in …

Skyward

While hanging out in the backyard, early Sunday morning, trying to catch a view of the comet named 'Siding Spring,' I recalled an event from July 1995. At the time Mary, Kyle and I were living in an apartment on Sutro Street in Reno. During the evening of the third, I sat outside with my friend …

What Would My Final Message Be?

Sitting on my front porch, enjoying an autumn zephyr that felt more like a winter breeze, I got to thinking about what wisdom I could impart if we had no more time left.  Politics, civil liberty, historical essays, family stories and old photographs would no longer matter. So what's left? Then that tiny voice, I often call …

The Better Mouse Trap

For the past month I've played 'cat and mouse,' with a couple of real mice. That leaves me in the role of the cat. Because I have dogs, I don't use poison bait to kill the mice. In fact I prefer to live-trap them, then release them far away from the neighborhood, deep in the …

My Neighbor’s Tree

Realized I should take a picture of my neighbor, Tom's tree in its full glory of fall coloring and before the wind and chill release the leaves for the year. It will go bare before anyone knows it and will remain so until next Spring. It's such a shame that we often take for granted the small but …

Workplace Violence — We’ve Heard this Before

Angry about being fire when he refused to stop trying to convert coworkers to Islam, Alton Nolen decided to return and cut off the head a former coworker and stabbing another former coworker at a Oklahoma business. Nolen is now charged with first degree murder and assault. Authorities say Nolen converted to Islam and radicalized while …

Arguing Semantics

In an appearance on MSNBC, Florida Congressman Dennis Ross said banning flights from West Africa to the U.S. makes sense and said he plans to introduce a bill doing so once the House reconvenes in November. However a self-righteous journalist has to score points by being exact, arguing semantics. "There are no direct flights that …

Moving Forward

Please explain to me again jus' how 'conservative' Nevada's Governor Brian Sandoval is. Back when he was first elected I wrote that he is really a 'progressive,' pretending to be something he's not. Recently, as I drove along Mill Street, approaching Kietzke Lane in Reno, I saw a billboard for his re-election as governor. I couldn't help …

Am I Crazy or Living a Bad Dream?

Oh, fuck me! I jus’ put Kay on an flight so she can meet her sister for a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico, then I hear this… “A health care worker who may have handled a specimen from the Liberian man who died from Ebola in Dallas is on a cruise ship in the Caribbean,” …

Wrapped Up

So often anymore, people get wrapped up in the politics of a subject that they miss the actual message and thereby the real threat of the matter as is the case with Ebola. It doesn't matter if an infected person's spittle when sneezed or coughed is considered 'airborne,' or not! I don't care if the …

Reno Becomes Part of National Petri Dish

A passenger from Frontier Airlines flight 1143 flew into Reno-Tahoe International Airport and was checked for Ebola. That is the flight the second nurse diagnosed with the deadly disease was on before being admitted to the hospital. Officials say the individual does not pose significant risk and was released. What the hell does ‘significant’ mean and are they …

The Lunatics are Running the Asylum

It was Friedrich Nietzsche I believe who wrote: “A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything.” While Nietzsche is one of my least favorite quotable people, his remark does sound like the world we are living in now. We were a nation that did not -- and never did …

Add this to My List of Daily Blessings

At first I thought, “Now, who did I piss off and what did I say that caused this?” Such is my first reaction to finding both my Facebook page and my WordPress site unable to load from my home computer. Aarrgghh! My ‘outage’ began last night as the wind whipped through the Spanish Springs valley …

Remembering Harley

We received this nice condolence card in the mail from our veterinary clinic: Dear Darby Family – We are sorry for your loss of Harley. We hope his paw print on the front of this card will serve as a small reminder of how much he meant to you. Very sincerely – The Staff of Baring …

The New Greatest Threat

During the early 80s Rush Limbaugh wrote his list, “The 35 Universal Truth of Life.” The first of these are “The greatest threat to humanity lies in the nuclear arsenal of the USSR.” Back when he first put his list together ‘social media platforms’ like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the myriad of blogs did not …

Plan not to Plan

People often talk about the benefits of planning. This includes preparation and foresight and a bit of cautiousness too. And while all these things are important in one aspect or another, we are also ‘planning,’ to miss out on life-events if we don’t jus’ sometimes ‘go for it.’ So plan not to plan and throw …

Human Nature

(1996) It's human nature, I guess that people feel the need to complain. I do it all the time. One of the best examples I can call upon is the weather. We are never happy with the condition that presents itself during the day. Recently, I heard a newscaster complain that it was "too hot …

Goodbye, Columbus

The Seattle City Council is replacing Columbus Day with Indigenous People's Day in the city. Meanwhile the Bellingham City Council is also considering an ordinance to recognize the second Monday in October as Coast Salish Day. It appears that the possibility of an Ebola epidemic in this country jus’ might fit the Progressive movement’s plan …

The Whore in the Church Closet

It began the night before with Crystella standing in her usual Saturday evening spot, a street corner. She was hoping to earn enough to keep her pimp, Geoff happy, if not if would mean yet another beating. “You lookin’ to party?” Crystella asked as the mini van rolled to a stop. “Yeah,” shot back the …

I Have to Put Harley Down Tomorrow

The news ain’t good. Harley, our Jack Russell mix has cancer and while he’s not in pain, tomorrow I will return to the vet clinic and have him put down. Oh, and he’s such a good dog too. Yes, my heart is aching, though not fully broken yet. Ending the life of a family pet, …

My Hillary Prediction

Generally, I don't do predictions, especially regarding politics. But I have to go out on a limb -- complete with a saw in hand. Hillary Clinton is going to run for the presidency in 2016. I based this on the fact that Leon Panetta in his new book, "Worthy Fights: A Memoir of Leadership in War …

Iran’s Wish Fullfillment

When I went to bed one evening, the U.S. was going to bomb ISIS/ISIL, but by the next morning it was a group no one had heard of, that had been attacked. In essence the U.S. made a gift of the Khorasan to the Republic of Iran, in hopes they will help fight ISIS/ISIL. As this …

The Crossroad

America’s society is at a real crossroads. And I’m afraid the outcome is no longer in this generations hands. In Hong Kong, people are risking their lives protesting against the Chinese Communist government which wants the final say over who can run for elected office. Meanwhile in Denver, Colorado, high school students are walking out …

Remembering Paul Revere in Reno

Roger Hart, manager of the popular Reno casino showroom act, ‘Paul Revere and the Raiders,’ says Revere died Saturday, October 4th at his home in Garden Valley, Idaho, from cancer. In July 2014, Revere posted on Facebook that he was dealing with some ailments. Despite doctors' request that he take a break, Revere and his …

Life Lesson #7

Stop being scared to make a mistake. Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you didn't do far more than the things you did.

The Brilliance of Thomas Duncan

The guy who came to the U.S. with Ebola did it on purpose. After all, where is the best place in the world to get treatment for the disease? Yeah, the U.S. -- and all Thomas Duncan had to do was get here. He helped a woman by transporting her to a hospital in Liberia, …

Crescent City Stump Fire Leads to Barn Fire in 1958

Looking through several old newspaper clippings from an online data base, I happened upon a story from August 1958 about a couple of suspicious blazes in Crescent City, California. Unfortunately, the clipping fail to identify what paper the clipping are from or the exact date of the report. “Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the possibility someone deliberately set …

NYC Mayor Implicated in Death of Staten Island Groundhog

“New York's Staten Island Zoo attempted to cover up news that the groundhog accidentally dropped by Mayor Bill de Blasio during the 2014 Groundhog Day celebration died from internal injuries a week after the fall,” reports The New York Post. News like this is so hard to take, not because of the death of a …

Answer the Question

The CDC’s website warns saliva, sweat, and mucus can transmit Ebola. However the agency’s head, Dr. Thomas Frieden seems unable to answer if sneezing can cause the disease to be passed between people. Dr. Thomas Frieden: Well actually, Sanjay and I, if one of us had Ebola, the other would not be a contact right …

My Employment and Education Advice to You

Whoever said, “Do what you love and you’ll never work another day in your life,” is a liar, especially when it comes to education for what one loves. I cannot stress enough to you that your education has to be practical and not a love-affair. Community college courses, vocational schools and on-the-job training are invaluable …