In Which I Am Brought Back to Earth
On Dogbite Friday yesterday, Patrick told about a time he was attacked by a very persistent wasp. It brought to mind my own recent encounter with a a member of […]
Audience Participation Friday: Junk
The stuff that used to be in our attic is now on our back driveway, stacked on shelves, covered by tarps. Today we’re going to put prices on the stuff […]
“Sweet Eileen”–A New, Swampier Version
My friend Jonathan Barnes has been reading The Secret of the Swamp King with his kids. Jonathan is a musician, so he did what musicians do: he composed a tune […]
On Everyday Beauty
A week or two ago my wife and I went to see The Tree of Life. It’s a beautiful movie that has gotten mixed reviews. It’s not plotted like a typical […]
Another Mammal Encounter
Jess, a regular around here, had a mammal encounter that is right up there with the raccoon popping through the cat door: a feechie reading–or attempting to read–on her back […]
Audience Participation Friday: Mammal Encounters
A friend of a friend left the house while an electrician was doing some work in the kitchen. When she got back a couple of hours later, the electrician said, […]
Advice for the Lovelorn, Feechie Style
A Chicago man recently found himself in hot water for keeping a four-foot alligator in his apartment. When asked what he wanted with an alligator, Dewayne Yarbrough gave the obvious […]
Wisdom and Imagination
I’ve been pondering the truth that wisdom requires a certain amount of imagination. Consider that experiment that you probably heard about if you took Psychology 101. The lady with the […]
The Evolution of an Illustration
Digging through some old papers recently I found my original sketch for the illustration that became–in more capable hands than mine–the frontispiece for The Charlatan’s Boy. I thought you might […]
Audience Participation Friday: Summer Movies
My wife and I are going to be sans children next week, and we aim to go to the movies. We’re definitely going to see Tree of Life, which has […]
Little Flannery O’Connor on Film
Flannery O’Connor’s first brush with fame came when she was five years old. She had a chicken that could walk backwards, and somehow the people at Pathé News—makers of newsreels […]