Month: March 2018

  • When the VA Comes Calling..

    When the VA Comes Calling..

    Just to give you a bit of insight into how messed up our current Veterans Administration system is, listen up. A couple of weeks ago, I received an official letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs. That might not seem like an unusual thing to the[..]
    Read More
  • Kids These Days

    Kids These Days

    [caption id="attachment_3926" align="aligncenter" width="960"] Students marching in Bend, Oregonphoto credit Bill Dahl[/caption] When I hear people bemoan the youth of today, how lazy and insolent they are, how disrespectful and disruptive they are, how they don't do anything but stare at their phones all day[..]
    Read More
  • Good-Hearted People Doing Good

    Good-Hearted People Doing Good

    [caption id="attachment_3909" align="aligncenter" width="567"] Karen Spears Zacharias with then Senator Barack Obama at the Senate Hart Bldg. prior to his first term in office.[/caption]   Sometimes people ask: Whose's the most famous person you've ever met? I used to pause before answering - there are[..]
    Read More
  • Where Goodness Abides

    Where Goodness Abides

    The menu was straight up Ireland: Corned beef (soaked in 2 pints of Guinness), boiled onions, potatoes and rutabagas. Boiled cabbage. Rye bread slathered in Irish butter. The guests were mostly California transplants. They came via serendipitous routes to Oregon, followings spouses, or children, or[..]
    Read More
  • Following Jimmy Buffett’s advice

    Following Jimmy Buffett’s advice

    On my way into town this morning, I heard Jimmy Buffett interviewed on NPR. Ever since I did that residency at the Fairhope Center for the Writing Arts, I've felt a kinship with Jimmy. I am by no means a Parrothead like my buddy Tim[..]
    Read More
  • Don’t Give Up

    Don’t Give Up

    My daughter Shelby thanked me for providing her with a sheltered and mostly joyous childhood. She was prompted to do so shortly after I shared my latest dream with her. The dream came to me in a dozing stage, that early sleep when you are[..]
    Read More