Columns. Commentaries. Contemplations.
“Decisions, Decisions” in Main Line Today (May, 2013). I stand in aisle nine and stare blankly at the toothbrushes. There are 97 different kinds to choose from – each one recommended by a different dental association. I pour over the options, weighing my mouth’s needs with …
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“The light is out there… somewhere” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (December 14, 2014). I imagine a boy on a plane, flying through the night sky, holiday travelers sitting side by side and row by row. Save for a few overhead spotlights shining down on crossword …
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“Taking Flight Lessons from Darby’s Skiles Fielding Montague” in Main Line Today (March, 2013). It sat there for years — one of those oddities that gives a place character and becomes the stuff of legend: the tiny powder-blue plane inexplicably perched on a roof in Darby. …
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“Along for the ride” in Main Line Today (December, 2012). The burgundy engine hums to life with a subtle twist of the wrist, leaving behind fathers with suitcases and moms clutching the hands of children. Frozen on the platform, the tiny figures wait for a …
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Philadelphia Inquirer (November 22, 2012) Stepping out into the cold November night, I shut the door behind me and listen. Inside, muted voices laugh and reminisce; children holler; an uncle plays “Heart and Soul” on the piano. Outside, however, all is still save the winter …
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“Mud and memories” in Main Line Today (November, 2012). I stood on the front stoop, looking left and right. A sneaker dangled from each hand. All was quiet. Too quiet. Lawn mowers, blowers, and circular saws were silenced. The bouncing echo of the basketball faded. …
Read More“Mysteries of life and the side yard” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. My daughter, the undertaker. Pulling out of the driveway one recent morning, I noticed a lifeless squirrel on the side of the road. Whether it was tree branch acrobatics or my neighbor’s Nissan that …
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“At Knoebels, the season of the carousel” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. When faced with an autumnal deadline, and winter’s arrival just beyond that, summer sneaks its blessings into sun-soaked days and shouts to the world: “LIVE NOW!” We join with the waves until one day …
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“Thoreau the truth-seeker” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I can see it clearly: the American literature textbook from my sophomore year in high school, complete with faded red cover, frayed spine and a list of students who had rifled through its pages in years past. In …
Read More“Yearning to go back to the ways of Christopher Robin” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Friendship,” said Christopher Robin, “is a very comforting thing to have.” It is indeed, though I wonder what might have happened to those beloved friendships in the Hundred Acre Wood if …
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“Learning to live in a graveyard” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I grew up in a cemetery. Apart from the house I grew up in, the cemetery just four doors down from that house is home to the fondest memories of my childhood, my adolescence, and …
Read More“A place not yet touched by 9/11” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. When the mood strikes and both the calendar and skies are clear, my children and I venture to the nearby Brandywine Valley Airport to catch a glimpse of the airplanes and helicopters in flight. Watching these …
Read More“Identity Crisis” in Main Line Today (July, 2011). I tried to tackle my to-do list today, but things haven’t worked out as planned. 1. Pay mortgage. I went to pay my mortgage but couldn’t remember my password. After asking for help, I was told I …
Read More“I Google myself, therefore I am” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Under cover of darkness, with the shades drawn and the neighborhood fast asleep – save for a red fox making its rounds in search of prey – I went in search of myself. The Google …
Read More“A Father’s Retreat” in Main Line Today (June 2011). As a young boy, I never could quite understand how my father could spend hours each evening in that room. The routine went like this: After arriving home shortly before 6 p.m., our dad would join …
Read More“Dyed-in-the-wool fools don’t need a special day” in the Philadelphia Inquirer. I love practical jokes. Even before I could tie my shoes, I was tying unsuspecting family members’ laces together. So began my career as a prankster – a profession that can sometimes prove hazardous …
Read More“To put it bluntly, I don’t like your dog” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (March 25, 2011). I have a confession to make: I’m not a dog lover. Never have been, never will be. There, I’ve said it. Friends, relatives, neighbors, now you know the truth: …
Read More“Thanksgiving and a Welcome Melancholy” in the Philadelphia Inquirer (November 25, 2010). On a recent autumn night, I found myself sitting by the fire in the backyard. The moon and stars shone above while the fire danced and crackled below. In the quiet, there was …
Read More“Halloween Fears” in the Harrisburg Patriot-News (October 28, 2010). “Suddenly there came a tapping, as of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” Edgar Allan Poe penned these words in “The Raven,” the story of a lonely man hidden inside his home, so …
Read More“Silly Bandz Invasion” in Main Line Today (November 2010). The little critters started appearing in our house one at a time. Before long, they began to multiply. Fearing an infestation was imminent, I called the exterminator: “Hello. I think I have any infestation in the …
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