Week 1: Chapters 1, and 2 (pages 2-19—18 pages)(Dec 7th, 2015) –Exiting a plane, Diana Buchanan asks Wade Middleton’s help with a heavy saddle. He throws his back out. Guilt overcomes her conservatism; she drives him home. The next morning his friend Jorge Calderon comes seeking help at work. –When Diana asks Wade about his […]
Summary of Chapters 1-19 of The Sureness of Horses Read More »
This morning, I realized again that, just over two months ago, I turned fifty years old. Not that I make a habit of forgetting my age, but sometimes things hit you, and other times they hit you, you know? Imagine, for instance, thinking one day that you could stand to lose a couple of extra
Sports fans of all manner are literally fanatics. Some are just more fanatical than others, and world football hooligans are in their own category. The NFL playoffs are particularly intense. Supporters of teams that didn’t make it are demanding that coaches and general managers be fired or that certain players be traded away or obtained.
Sports Fans as Metaphor Read More »
It was December 21st 1974 and we were settling in around a campfire in the middle of the Superstition Mountains. Twenty-five of us had hiked into this forbidding environment for a class in field ecology sponsored by Arizona State University. Unfortunately, about half of the group had no experience in hiking at all, let alone
The True Reason for the Season Read More »
As fall begins and the daylight wanes, my chickens start molting and stop laying eggs. I haven’t eaten an egg in weeks, but nature is seasonal. Earlier in the year, the peaches ripened and we ate, cooked, and canned as many as we could. Later it was frozen beans and pickled cucumbers, but what all
Flocking to Freedom Read More »
A typical conversation with my mother these days goes something like this: She will say: “Where’s my purse? Do you have my purse?” And I will say: “It’s over on your dresser. See?” I point. “Is my checkbook in it?” “No, you don’t have a checkbook anymore.” “Well how do I pay bills? I have
from Conversations with My Mother Read More »