I mow the grass not out of conquest,but obligation — even simple necessity:if I don’t, our little dog disappears inthe growing greenery that passes fora lawn. I’m not much of a turf builder.And so I pull-start the machine andbegin traversing the yard, cuttingpatterns as Ella runs ahead, buoyantlyannouncing impending doom to theweeds and daffodils. We…
Some parts of my job come easily for me – the cooking part, for instance. Some parts have a steeper learning curve – figuring out food costs, for one. In order to be profitable, what it costs to buy all the food needs to cost less than a third of what we sell it for,…
Corpus Christi, Texasis bracing for a hurricane;I am fasting, preparingfor my colonoscopy;both I and my birthplaceare being evacuated. Peace,Milton
I got wrapped up in my mind tonight and found myself to tangled to write, so I untangled myself by browsing through some of the music my nephews have shared with me. Here are some folks doing great stuff. Brett Dennen opens “Ain’t No Reason” by singing: There aint no reason things are this wayIts…
The beginning of the school year has meant a move for me. I’m back at Duke, as the chef for a restaurant my boss contracts to run on the Duke campus. We are open Monday to Thursday nights, and then I still work Sunday nights at the restaurant where I worked this summer. I like…
I’ve always been a big fan of words. I love their sounds, their meanings, the many ways they can be put together. I am pulled by poetry because it is words at their best, standing in fresh light, speaking deep truths, unlocking hearts. After the last couple of nights of convention speeches, I’m prepared to…
(with apologies to middle schoolers) I’m sitting between Gustav and Hannain the homeroom of life, wondering howto make sense of everything coming throughthe loudspeaker, the stream of non sequitursthat passes for news and the endless stormof chatter that follows, each of us choosingsides without bothering much to choose ourwords. Life looks and sounds a great…
He took the wings we weren’t going to use for dinner. We serve a roast chicken dish, so we cut up the birds so each customer gets one piece that is half of a breast with the first section of the wing bone attached and a second piece that is the leg and thigh. Abel,…
Life is clipping along for me at a speed that makes reflection feel a bit like a luxury. Though I’m grateful for most of the things going on right now, I’m always wary of going too long without taking stock and doing my best to listen. They don’t call it break-neck speed for nothing, I…
A friend sent me the following email message from a woman who wants to open an ice cream shop in Rwanda. It’s an awesome idea and she needs us to vote for her in order for her to see her dream become a reality. Please read the following letter, follow the links, and vote for…