Thanksgiving at Torch Lake was a pleasant experience, and on the whole, I think this trip was a success. Now all I have to do is disentangle myself. Of course, there was that minor flap when I stayed at lunchtime at The Bluffs to feed Raven at The Bluffs and Mom lost track of the […]

The Stores opened at Midnight over at the big-box mall south of town. This is apparently intended to enable the unemployed and under-resourced to pile up more consumer debt. According to NPR this morning, it is apparently one of the better Black Fridays in recent memory. I love this system! I knew something like this […]

I didn’t feel like a complete Turkey yesterday. I did manage to accomplish something. The 1959 Rambler is off the property. Terry and his Jerr-Dan tow truck showed up in the driveway just a few minutes after nine- close enough for government work. He wore a neon knot cap over sandy hair and had warm […]

Day Two started before dawn- the darkness lingers this far west in the Eastern Time Zone- and the bright lights from the new fixtures in the kitchen illuminated the pad of paper with The List on it. I worked through it as National Public Radio from Central Michigan University burbled in the background on the […]

(Potemkin Village in November. Photo PV.) The journey continues. I crashed with pals at a magical place over in scenic Leland on Sunday night so I could talk to the Broker on Monday morning and try to unscramble the finances. He informed me that things could be managed until summer until we are down to […]

I have been avoiding the weather forecast- it is out of my hands. The throttle of the Bluesmobile is not going to be under my right foot today. I could not bear the idea of driving that 800-mile hockey stick again so soon- the last trauma is just fading- and now I have to confront […]

Mac was waiting in the lobby as I pulled up in the Bluesmobile in the alley in front of The Madison. The service at the Old Chapel was scheduled for 0900- nine o’clock sharp- and with the competition of the daily commuters trying to get on post we were anxious not to be late. That […]

Normally I have to click the little time icon on the screen to see what the date is. The days go by so swiftly that it is hard to keep track. Not this morning. There is a scrawled note next to the computer that is stark and simple: “MAC, 0815- 0730 in the shower!” Checking […]

I have gone through a lot of napkins at Willow, between wetting them under a tulip glass of Happy Hour White and writing on them, but I was not writing on them last night. I was taking a break from recording stories and just relaxing. It had been a busy and fairly productive day at […]

  They say there is no such thing as a free lunch, but I am not sure that is true. You know they used to put out a big spread of pickles and salty food “for free,” to encourage the working stiffs to come in and get really thirsty. The additional sales of adult beverages […]