(PR photo of Dave Brubek in 1956. Photo AP). I was thinking about the passing of Dave Brubeck, whose astonishing syncopated time-scales links me back to the little dining room in the house on Chester Street in Birmingham, Michigan. Dad was an aficionado of cool jazz, and I recall dancing with my brother and sister […]

I am shivering a little this morning with mental exhaustion. I just finished the tribute issue of the Quarterly for Mac Showers and shipped it off to lay-out, and it was both emotional and hard, since I had to scoop up some representative stories from our long collaboration to illustrate some of his remarkable life. […]

(Great-Great Uncle Patrick, the loveable rogue of the 10th Tennessee (Irish). Photo Griffin Archives.) One of the things that appeals to me most about Refuge Farm is the sound of the night, which is to say, not much of it, except the barking of the dogs up the road and the sound of the trains. […]

(Mrs P’s opening holiday volley. She is a good neighbor and doesn’t yell much. Photo Socotra). I had spied several trees trussed up within an inch of their lives atop SUVs coming back from Refuge Farm. The stores along Rt. 29 were all selling piney things, and it looked like the season was getting serious. […]

(England’s iconic John Bull is often joined by his mustachioed compatriot, Colonel Blimp. We were the same rank. Photo courtesy Amazon.) I am up late this morning at the farm, and there is a reason for my slacking. I managed to get the bed set up in the back room and no longer have to […]

(Screen Shot of the People’s Daily English edition with Dear L’il Kim as Sexiest Man Alive. Images courtesy People’s Daily). It is easy to get distracted these days. I have no idea what Mr. Geithner, the alleged Secretary of the Treasury, was thinking when he took the new plan to avoid the fiscal cliff up […]

(Billie and Mac at their wedding, shortly after the end of WWII. Photo Mac Showers). I appear to have made it to Friday. I think I did. I got up early because I went down early, once dinner was done and the dishes cleaned up. I was going “to read” in bed and that did […]

(President Obama- center- does a photo op with ASEAN leaders. The dispute in the contested islands left a bad taste in everyone’s mouths. Photo Reuters). It is getting just cold enough at the end of November that I am starting to get happy-feet thoughts about going someplace warm. Talking to ENS Socotra about duty in […]

(Elisabeth-with-an-S, a known lawyer, and Mac at the Willow Bar, 04 November 2010. Photo Socotra) Christmas music leaked out of the clock radio on my desk as I looked out the office window. “Not ready. Not yet.” The clouds were low and gray and chill and way down at the bottom of the concrete canyon […]

(Jim at the Willow bar. Photo Socotra.) I was talking to Old Jim at Willow last night. It was a back to work Monday, and the Christmas decorations were up and I am still not ready for it. I had done some Internet Monday stuff when the network at the office cooperated, and had a […]