Untitled Fable or The Story of What Happened to the Rich Man- Part 1
I self-published this fable in Dec. 2021. By self-published I mean I used cardstock paper, a hole- puncher, and some ribbon to gift a copy to a few friends and family. Aside from correcting a few grammatical errors and one additional quote (Mark 10), the text is as originally written. To keep the posts short […]
The P.O. Box
There are moments in which I find myself longing for a time before computers, cell phones, and automotive vehicles, when traversing cobblestone streets, reading by candlelight, and travel by horse drawn carriage was considered ordinary. Likewise, something in me yearns to quilt large blankets, darn socks, and embroider handkerchiefs. I believe it is my […]
What’s in a Number? Part 1
It was the night before the Lunar New Year. I was at a Lunar New Year celebration and had just played a game of Mahjong. A tasty buffet of Chinese style cooking followed. During dinner, the conversation turned to someone sharing the incredible number of attacks a particular large institution’s system fends off each day. […]
Marriage: No Fairytales Here
One upon a time, when I was still in my twenties, I asked a co-worker whether she still loved her husband of many decades. I remember feeling shocked and dismayed to hear her reply, “well, the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.” For at that time, a part of me still […]
Sopa de Huesos: A Thoughtful Approach to the Boiling of Bones
As a child, one of my favorite stories was the story of Baba Yaga: a witch and predator of children whose house stood on a pair of chicken legs. As an adult who eats chicken hearts with collard greens for lunch and is always on the look out for good chicken feet, I must confess […]
The Last Chinese Chef & Guanxi
Recently, I had the pleasure of reading The Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones. At one point, Sam Liang, one of the main characters, tells the story of the Sword-Grinding Rain to explain the meaning of guanxi (gwaang.shee), commonly translated as a deep connection. The Story of the Sword-Grinding Rain Guan Gong, a noble who lived long […]
The Strong Man: Our Own Motives Exposed
“The Strong Man” is seductive and alluring. This is my attempt to understand why. But First, A Note on Gender: The Strong Man,” I refer to the type of person, generally aggressive, who pushes to get what they want, is particularly self-serving, and loathes to show any type of vulnerability whatsoever. The Strong Man is […]
The Western Frontier
Early, September 21, 2024, my son, Sean, and I boarded a one-way flight to Montana. Our plan was to fly into Bozeman, Montana, tour around the Montana/Wyoming area for a few days, and then drive our rental car from Great Falls, Montana back to Buffalo, New York. Our goal was to be back by Thursday, […]
A Sublime Salsa Verde
In the spring, my mother and I committed to going to the farmer’s market every week this season (mid-May through the beginning of November). Pursuant to our pact, we’d gone there recently, and I was about to head out. My daughter reminded me we needed some more butternut squash flowers (so good!). The gentleman, Bob […]
Feline vs. Two-Legged Female
Rats! I missed the two-legged male for my early morning feeding–I no longer smell him in the house. Great. Now, I’ll have to wake the two-legged female. [the feline’s ears perk up at the sound of a toilet flushing] Oh, good! It sounds like she’s just leaving the noisy waterhole. I’ll rub against her legs […]