Not-yet-published pieces, stories, essays, rants, and random strangenesses

This morning on my windshield I found the first lovebug of the season: Plecia nearctica, a member of the family of march flies. It is...

I am not a particularly heavy sleeper. You could say I sleep like a dog, or a wolf; that is, with one ear nearly always awake, ready to...

Yesterday was Day One in several significant ways. The Great Funeral Trip is done, and Mom is resting with Dad in Maryland. Now I have an...

When I was a kid, summer was all about lightning bugs. Well, that and playing outside until 9:30 p.m. Summer days in the Washington, D.C....

The news is depressing, I’m afraid. A twelve-year-old girl was out walking her dog on a farm near the town of Sauðárkrókur, Skaga fjord...

Just when I thought my nightmares were under control, I find this: a woman in Glen Burnie, Maryland, named Kelly Schreck (her last name,...

No, this isn’t my video, but this fellow’s song is remarkably similar to the one my little friend has been singing outside my window...

Anyone care for a lovely little duet?

“Green Porno” is a series of very short films conceived, written, co-directed by and featuring Isabella Rossellini. Inspired by the...

One of my recurring nightmares involves a scenario in which there are several dogs in my care, usually one large and several smaller...

You say “central Florida” to most people, and they think of Orlando. Say “Orlando” and people think “Disney.” Fair enough. But most of...

Last night I put Mom to bed, and went off to my office to watch the season finale of Torchwood, a sci-fi TV series I’ve been following....

By now, you probably know that I have a thing for cows. I don’t know why I find them so endearing, or funny, or amazing, but I do. I love...

A couple of weeks ago, Adamus told me he had gotten a dog at the pound, a Lab mix named Dusty. He said I should definitely meet her....

From the London Daily Mail: They’re an odd couple in every sense, but a monkey and a pigeon have become inseparable at an animal...

These parents believe horses and shamans can unlock their son’s autistic mind. This is their journey of discovery by Tim Rayment The...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two-thirds of the world’s polar bears will be killed off by 2050 — and the entire population gone from Alaska — because...

A note from a friend in Arizona: I wish you fabulous people could be here right now. On the upper route from Bisbee to Sierra Vista the...

A recurring dream, which last night became a nightmare: I’m in a house that looks vaguely like my own, only it’s filthy. There’s a vague...