Ledger-Transcript

A collection of 36 posts

Other Musings

Holiday Megalopolis

It is within the power of marketing to transform any inherently good and joyful thing into one of those over-muscled people, wearing a Speedo.

Other Musings

Thanks for Working Today

Since we were together last, I attended a college reunion of sorts in Schenectady, New York. It was the 200th anniversary of the fraternity I belong to, and let me point out, I was around for the 150th. On the appointed evening, there was the obligatory reception and dinner, which

Other Musings

Autumn Hugs

Fall has arrived, and we hope, so will the pilgrims.

Other Musings

When the Inspector Calls

A singer’s got to sing, a dancer’s got to dance, and an inspector's got to find stuff.

Other Musings

Les Grandes Vacances

What we would do if France did not have Les Grandes Vacances, which sends the country into a state of hibernation every August?

Other Musings

Blindfolded Canoe Racing

There is something about blindfolded anything that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom: you do not see chickens daring each other to cross the road blindfolded.

Other Musings

Thinking About Our Vietnam Veterans

Vietnam changed our country. It was toxic. But I believe, fifty years later, we have it to thank for the parts of us that are better than we were.

Other Musings

Daylight Savings for What?

The poetry of our spring has less to do with flowers opening than snakes shedding skin. We molt. The sensible thing to do is hide.

Other Musings

Lost in the Woods

For example, there is the possibility of getting lost in the woods . . .in freezing temperatures. I did this last week.

Other Musings

Walking on Ice

It is a superior feature of winter to be able to step onto a frozen pond or lake, and we have many of them. It is liberating.

Other Musings

Our Town

I kept thinking . . . all these people are paying what it costs to buy food for a week to hear what Mr. Wilder can share with them about life . . . . in our small corner of the world.

Other Musings

Election Day

“The price of greatness,” Winston Churchill said, “is responsibility.” He was talking to us.

Other Musings

The Pumpkin Period

Currently, you may have noticed, we are mired in the Pumpkin Period, characterized by the flavor of pumpkin in almost everything.

Other Musings

Summer People

The July and August people have arrived, bringing with them their patronage of our stores and their vehicles, requiring me to look both ways before pulling out of the driveway.

Other Musings

Good, Quality Thunder

The rain had stopped and we sat just to watch and listen as the storm’s slashing furry settled to not much more than a purr.

Other Musings

Liver Free or Die

I object to the narrow use we make of the animals that pay the ultimate sacrifice on the way to our table.

Other Musings

Calmly on the Waters

Of all the animals we will share property with this summer, we are most attached to the loons. They are the only creature that does not bolt the instant they become aware of our presence.

Other Musings

Total Eclipse

The memory of projecting light on the shirt cardboard stands out only because it was the same afternoon we were taken to see the play, Peter and the Wolf.

Other Musings

Moon Walk

I submit our Presidential candidates should be required to spend three nights around a campfire with a view of the sky as part of their spiritual journey to the office.

Other Musings

Now We are Nearly to Spring

Every year, awakened by the Mourning Dove, I would be glad to stand in that spot for a minute or two.

Other Musings

Artificial Intelligence

There will still be tasks available to us after AI has it under control. I feel confident about that at the end of a dirt road.

Other Musings

Winter Enchantment

Imagine a place where the leaf action of a spindly plant at the edge of the woods can take center stage each morning out the kitchen window.

Food

About Breakfast

I stopped ordering scrambled eggs at restaurants, including good ones, long ago. Invariably— as in, every case, every occasion—scrambled eggs come out overcooked and rubbery, sometimes flecked with specs of brown.

Other Musings

Boxing Day

You are entitled to your own set of facts when it comes to the origins of Boxing Day because there are none.

Other Musings

Power to the People

I wonder how far it will be in the future when the notion that we delivered electrical power around the world by stringing wires over hill and dale will seem archaic.