“You know,” I said, “I was looking again at Marvie Saunder’s book.” “No, Ned,” Pat interrupted. “Remember, you’ve given that up. You’re going to let Cade and Gerald handle whatever is going on about that house. You are fixating on that book of poetry so, stop it!” Stung, I said, “What a thing […]

The Mysterious Stranger
·He moves on four white, silent feet along my neighbor’s sidewalk, this quiet, watchful newcomer. He sits on the porch a while, thinking about things. Where did he come from? Where is he going? Is he just out for a morning stroll or is he on a mission? Cats are secret, mysterious creatures. They keep their […]

An Unexpected Menace
I got out of my car. The place looked deserted but as I approached the nearer house, a tall, bony dog appeared around the corner. It growled. I stopped. The animal didn’t look in the least friendly. It bared its teeth, snarled and started toward me. Everything I had ever read about unfriendly dogs […]

Frozen
·Trees, grass, all are frozen this morning. This is treacherous ice, silent and invisible. But, it’s there. Roads are coated and schools are closed. There is no walking or driving on it. Try it and one misstep and it’s a sudden meeting with the ground. The only living things stirring are squirrels and birds, picking […]
Whatever the Weather
Remember the children’s story about the sun and the cold wind and the bet they had? An old man was trudging down the road in the wintertime and the wind, boisterous and braggy, bet the sun that he could blow the old man’s coat off whereas the sun didn’t have that power. So, he blew […]