patrickjegan

January 28, 2016

I Heard The Secrets Of The Grackle’s Song

[Image: Google search] A short time ago, perhaps a week, maybe more, I spent a few days in Austin, Texas. We were visiting with a gentleman, William, that I had met during a writers workshop in Westport, New York in October, 2012. He has been a good friend and faithful follower of my blogs since…

January 25, 2016

Mix Mesquite, Sage, Fire, Oil And A Dash Of White-Line Fever

You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst. You shall wander far in safety, though you do not know the way. –From Be Not Alone, a hymn commonly sung at funerals. Words by John Michael Talbot. “Somewhere on a desert highway, she rides a Harley-Davidson…her long blonde hair flying in…

January 23, 2016

My Moonlight Sonata

“Moonlight becomes you, it goes with your hair. You certainly know the right thing to wear…” –Popular song For many years, the Full Moon has fascinated me. In the North Country, in the death-like silence of the mid-winter, and the snow on the ground is seven inches deep, and bending the branches of the cedar…

January 20, 2016

At The Alamo: All The History I Needed Was On My Pajamas

[Source: Google search] I grew up in a time when kids had heroes. Mythic heroes. These days, it seems like anyone who performs his or her duties is a “hero”. It’s fair to say that most children, throughout history, had their own heroes. The ancient Greek boys had their Spartans and the Irish youth had…

January 18, 2016

Dear Moxie…

So long, honey baby Where I’m bound, I cannot tell But goodbye’s too good a word So I’ll just say “Fare thee well…” –Bob Dylan “Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right“ Dear Moxie, We’ve been through a lot in our short life together, Moxie. But there comes a time when the best thing to do…

January 15, 2016

Confessions Of My Scrabble Nemesis

Mariam thought she was going to be visiting her fellow high school graduate…from the Class of ’63, the Long Island City High School in Queens, NY. Why else would we be driving for hours through the Texas Hill Country to the small town of Burnet, TX? We had three days to spend in the great…

January 13, 2016

Night Of The Living Entropy

[Just to give you the right perspective. We are a small fish in a large sea of RV’s] [en-tro-py n, pl -pies 1 : the degree of disorder in a system 2 : an ultimate state of inert uniformity] —Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus, 2014 ed. I recently completed reading Deep South by Paul Theroux.…

January 11, 2016

Don’t Mess With Texas

All the tired horses in the sun How am I going to get any riding done? –Bob Dylan “All The Tired Horses” Well this is a fine howdy-do. There is some good news and some bad news in this here posting. The good news is that we joined Cosco and promptly spent $139.95 ( +…

January 7, 2016

A Silent Eulogy: Late But Heartfelt

Is it possible that a eulogy can take forty-one years to deliver? The dreaded answer is yes. I know because I spoke that eulogy…silently, silently so that only I heard the words. It was a rambling prayer over a heart-breaking death. I knew the young man who had died. In truth, I was with him…

January 5, 2016

The Tomato Place And The Perfect Man List

This is the coldest night of our trip. After complaining about the heat and humidity of Florida, we’re shivering in the chilly air a few miles south of Vicksburg…still alongside Highway 61. My trusty thermometer tells me it’s 37 degrees just fifteen inches behind me and through the thin wall of the R-pod. I push…