It’s funny how some memories stay with you during your lifetime—things you did as a kid or a young adult that still shape who you are today. The older I get, the more I look back and think I didn’t appreciate how much simpler life was or how few responsibilities I had. Lately, one memory has been on my mind, prompted by a search through my iTunes library while looking for uplifting music to listen to while I walked the be...

I always do my long runs before Saturday Breakfast at 9 AM. Depending on how far, means how early I get up. For my 40ks it means 3 AM. At 3AM, the house is silent apart from the fridge motor and the streets are deserted. Leaving the front door, all I hear is click of the clock and my feet hitting the ground; even the neighbour’s yapper is off duty! I’ve got neck problems, so I detect traffic better by listening than movin...

The summer of 1975 provided hot, sunny days and warm, balmy evenings in Detroit. Having a pool in our backyard meant late-night swims so we could go to bed and let the box fan in the window blow air on our wet hair, helping to cool us off enough to sleep. That was my parents’ idea of air conditioning. I never minded the heat. As hot as it was, it was nothing compared to the humid, tropical weather I experienced on my many...

“Eddie’s dead,” said the female voice on the other end of the line. My caller did not identify herself, but I recognized Emma Lawrence’s voice. She was engaged to my old friend Eddie Blake. “What happened, Emma?” I asked, dreading the answer. “He went paddling on the lake, Alan,” she said quietly. That alone was enough to make my face turn pale, but I let Emma go on. “I told him not to. I refused to go myself. But he stil...

New budding flowers are poking through the earth Cottonwoods are irritating my allergies The sky is a brilliant, bright blue Fluffy white clouds Warm sunlight on a glistening river Summer just around the corner. An awards show and pictures and proud smiles and excitement - Summer break just around the corner. Laughter turned to terror As the gunman came around the corner.

July’s midsummer heat stuck. It stuck to the blades of grass. It stuck to Sumire’s beige romper. It stuck to everything and anything like a sweltering bog. Sweat drenched her underarms as she set up her easel and foldable chair. Even at her elevated vantage point, the muggy draft painted her body with its salty sheen.Wiping her brow, she gazed over the stacked rows of terraced rice paddies below, bristling with the vibran...

Summer is a time For new changes For new chances   Then, after a while You realize you want To spend your life With someone New, even though He's older and  You've only really Known him for  A few years.   But, summer is a time For new changes For new chances  

It was a beautiful summer day in Wisconsin. The family reunion was in full swing. The adults were sitting around talking as the sun was shining high in the summer sky. The kids were running around the back yard shrieking. They needed to get sunscreen put on.The adults were sipping lemonade trying to beat the heat  as they  watch the kids jumping in the pool one by one, splashing and having a good time. Andrew was in the s...

Peen slipped through a gate in the wire mesh fencing, between pink oleanders, and out onto the deck of the swimming pool. He stood proudly in the simmering heat of the summer sun. His splayed feet were shod in sandals. He wore a cabana shirt dotted with green sea turtles. Added to that were Bermuda shorts in a purplish plaid pattern hanging loosely. A straw hat with pompom dangles completed his sartorial splendor.  He sli...

Not so very many years ago, I decided it was time for a change of holiday destination. Every December, for the past fifteen years, we had flown to Munich for the Christmas markets. How I love those visits. For the summer holidays, however, we always stayed on home territory. The problem was that I had never driven on the 'wrong' side of the road and it worried me! This particular year, we had discovered a theme park in th...

I am slumped in a chair, staring at my newest painting. For over twenty-four hours I have been awake, painting in a near-trance for more than half that time. The painting portrays a scene not far from my studio, a shallow bay on Lake Madeline. A woman emerges naked from the water. An overturned canoe floats nearby. The woman’s name is Lily. Memories flood in. ***** Thunder rumbled in the distance. I glanced towards the so...

Things are heating up at work. Apparently, spring didn't get the memo that it's her season, and us here in Hawkes Bay have gone straight to summer. It's not a major complaint, though, six months of summer sounds amazing, and it's even better because our Christmas and New Year's are in the summer. Because things are heating up and it's getting hotter, we leave a note for all the parents that they should start packing sun h...

Can you not see As they stand before you Can you not feel The world start to change Each year as the leaves On the trees start to fall Winter to summer Then summer to fall Again and again Each one comes and goes Always never ending But never the same One following the other Each with a different name Beauty and wonder Each one brings A sight to see To feel And to be

Finally it's summer Warm weather is here to stay Winter was a real bummer I love warm weather days Let's get serious and start grilling Who would like a steak The beer is cold and is chilling For dessert we have carrot cake We also have corn on the cob I hope you like some vegetables While you grill don't be a slob Make sure to read the labels Do you hear the steak sizzling Would you like another beer The weather is drear...

It was going to be a typical late July day. Rather than spending the whole summer stuck in day camp, Mom and Dad had offered that I could stay most of it at my grandparents’ house. Their house was an hour and a half away, and I’d been told it was right on the border between the suburbs and rural farmland. Just about every time we were there, grandma or grandpa would talk about how the farmers kept selling their properties...