The creamy blossom beckoned to me that early Sunday morning and when I opened the petals, I saw her. My first yucca moth! Nestled near a pollen-heavy stamen, she shifted her position as the sun flooded her hideaway. My job as a volunteer naturalist at Cheyenne Mountain State Park had immersed me in the amazing […]
Of Yucca Moths and Four-Leaf Clovers Read More »
I had a pet otter for about two years when I was growing up in the dusty farming town of Fessenden, North Dakota. His name was Joe and we played together quite a lot. My best friend, Carol, played with him, too. I should mention Joe was imaginary. Carol had a bird named Hi-low who
Growing Up: From Otters to Elvis Read More »
Times are changing for Japanese women, and the changes are profound. Traditionally, young Japanese boys and girls followed firmly established paths. For instance, as a young boy, Ono went out into his community to find a willing teacher to take him in and allow him to learn an art or trade as an apprentice. He
Japanese Women Are Rolling into Careers as Sushi Chefs Read More »
“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Four shots ripped into my groin and I was off on the greatest adventure of my life!” – Max Shulman, *Sleep ‘Til Noon* Shulman’s parody of Mickey Spillane’s tougher than tough guy style probably represents what most people thought of “detective stories” when I was young. They were considered one of
Low Tastes I – John D. MacDonald and Travis McGee Read More »
She said she wouldn’t leave me and I believed her. She stared at me with those big, colorless eyes, half-smile, waiting. She was never the patient sort. “Do it,” she said. Every time she asked, the thought of the guard and the seven other inmates listening and responding made me hesitate, but only momentarily. “Would
My mother read to me from the time I could turn over from my back to my belly. Soon as I could walk, she began taking me to the little library on Central Street, and soon enough I’d run through all the wonderful books for kids the librarians knew of and could afford to buy.
Thorne Smith and My Mother’s Quarter Read More »