We do not have assigned seats in the living room of the Henley hacienda. However, there is for the most part an unspoken understanding between my wife, Nancy, and I regarding which chairs can be sat in freely and which ones bear an invisible "reserved" sign.
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I rolled into a coffee house and chased some trash around the parking lot that blew out of my car when I opened the door.
I like to think of myself as a pretty nondiscriminatory fella when it comes to desserts.
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It’s about 4:30 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon and I am sitting in my recliner at my laptop trying to write.
It is ant season at the Henley hacienda.
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Sunlight cracked through the curtains as my eyes opened to another summer day, and I couldn’t help but smile at the possibilities.
I could be wrong, a condition in which I frequently find myself, but it seems like the weather was particularly tame this spring.
It was one of those damned if you do and damned if you don't moments that I found myself confronted with a couple of Thursday nights ago.
As the Parkinson's disease with which I am afflicted has slowly but steadily worsened in recent years, it has been encouraging to watch how my family has rallied around me in their own unique ways.
It is likely that either we have been involved in a life-altering situation, or know of someone whose life was forever changed by an incident that could have turned out differently were it not…
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We had just gotten Dad home after seven days at Hannibal Regional Hospital. Now only hours later, we sat in the waiting room of the ER with Mom.
One day recently, as my wife, Nancy, drove me home from a session of physical therapy, we made a left-hand turn from U.S. 61 onto Pleasant Street before either of us noticed that the northern …
Two years ago, I sat on a beach in Honolulu, and pulled a book out of my bag.
God Bless America and this random soldier who wants to be my Facebook friend.His name is Mike from Sarasota who, from his profile picture, loves his dog and his country (be still my heart). Th…
I have been told that as my Parkinson's worsens I am becoming a more appreciative man.
It was the summer before COVID.
I am rapidly becoming an expert in falls. If given a choice my expertise would be in the area of waterfalls.
When one lives in the Hannibal Hood there are any number of sounds that can awaken a person from a sound slumber in the middle of the night.
My Dad was known for his ability to spin a tale, and we cherished the mornings he stopped by for coffee and a story.
What are some of the favorite games that you grew up playing? One of the first games I can recall playing as a child was a board game called Pollyanna, which required getting all of your piece…
I was irritated at my husband for two days over something silly.
As the Parkinson's with which I am afflicted progresses my fall risk has increased significantly.
When you are outside do you ever take the time to pause and look up into the sky?
Did the job of parenting become significantly more of a challenge within the past year with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic?
While it may not rank up there with profound questions such as, "Why is the sky blue?" and "Who really killed President Kennedy?" I periodically will find myself asking just how many miles of …
“Here you go, Mom! It’s the best one yet!”
If a person lives in a neighborhood long enough, and pays a little bit of attention, he or she will see a shift in the age demographics. I mention it only because I have witnessed it happen in…
Like any number of people I am probably guilty of taking for granted the bountiful number of blessings with which I was given during the first half century or more of my life. These days, spen…
Like any number of people, I am probably guilty of taking for granted the bountiful number of blessings with which I was given during the first half century or more of my life. These days, spe…
The elimination of "stuff" at the Henley hacienda is ongoing, only the items being disposed of changed significantly last week. Rather than work in the cold basement throwing away things that …
I don’t hold hands. I don’t kiss in public. And don’t call me honey.”
Diversification.
Wiping down a booth, a familiar voice drifted from the one behind me.
A couple of weeks ago my wife, Nancy, made an overnight trip to St. Louis to meet up with her sister, Gloria.
Fourth quarter. We were down by a few points, which meant we still had time to catch up. One kid took off with the ball while another took off after him.
A funny thing has happened at the Henley hacienda over the past 18 months or so. While the number of licensed drivers has been reduced by half, the number of vehicles available for use has increased.
It was a hot day in July, and in the garage there was a bumble bee. It kept trying to get out of a closed window.
The government needs to spend lots of money to rescue the economy. It also needs to spend this money well. That is, Congress must make sure that as many dollars as possible reach those who gen…
Do you have personalized license plates on your vehicle?
Standing outside the gym where phone booths lined the wall, I pulled a quarter from my pocket and dialed a familiar number. I still remember it now, 30-something years later, although I would …
Believe it or not some degree of thought does go into the weekly column I have being given the opportunity to write for the past couple of decades.
When serious and even heartbreaking things are happening all around me, my little family stories sometimes feel like a cop out. It’s like sneaking into a tearjerker with some slapstick comedy;…
An autopsy of Donald Trump’s presidency can proceed from an early example of his memorable utterances. On his 13th day in office, Feb. 1, 2017, the first day of Black History Month, he said: “…
Nothing like a little ice to remind me that I am no longer the photographer I once was.
When I was about six or seven years old, my mom came into my bedroom with a sweet little pink box that had my name etched in gold on it. Whenever you opened it, a tiny ballerina would pop up a…
As I have shared in this space previously, I never know what is going to show up from one day to the next in my cyber mailbox.
I sat the kids down and placed a piece of paper in front of them.
Scattered showers.
