Bespoke

“Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.” ― Anton Chekhov

Latest Posts


  • A Perspective on Gasoline Prices

    Here is how bad it is in the oil patch. Today I began pumping gas noting the price $1.49 at my local Phillips 66. After two gallons, I realized I wanted a car wash, so I stopped the pump and… Continue reading

  • Blessed are the Biscuit Eaters

    If you’ve ever wondered what goes on in the mind of an introvert writer, here it is. We like judging people. Not in the indicting sense, but rather as a playful mind game that often displaces conversation. Shame on us… Continue reading

  • My Daughter and God

    Karen and I dreamed separately (as is our normal way) two dark dreams last night. And it made us think of a story we read on vacation about belief and doubt. And no, this isn’t about my daughters per se,… Continue reading

  • My New Tattoo in Old English

    Yogi Berra was describing his own version of Einstein’s Relativity theory when he remarked, “The future ain’t what it used to be.” I thought of the future that used to be as I sat in a deep leather recliner at… Continue reading

  • All the Laughs on Your Side

    “Do you have time to come home and help Dad? He fell and broke his leg.” Well, yes Mom, since you put it that way, I think I can find the time. And thanks for phrasing it in a non-urgent… Continue reading

  • Barely Getting a Leaf Out

    My good friend Ralph Rowand once told me something in college that made me look at him with a tilted head like a dog that’s been given kale. “Our generation got cheated out of a war.” said Ralph bemusedly. Once my… Continue reading

  • A Thousand Pines

    He can tell a story better than Mark Twain on a riverboat drinking whiskey in the moonlight, although the surreal and the absurd are difficult to distinguish from reality. I hang near him at family gatherings, because I’m a writer… Continue reading

  • Dancing with Lauren Martin

    I told everyone that I would not cry and I did not. But that was my brave face in front of friends and family. It was a long walk down the aisle, about 100 yards from the garden to the… Continue reading

  • The Wedding Tree

    If the opposite of love is apathy, then the least one can do in a marriage is care enough to occasionally say, “I hate you.” I never really learned how to constructively argue until the 10th year of our marriage,… Continue reading

  • Chicago

    Here are some pictures from our two day Chicago trip. The Chicago River Architectural Tour was right up my alley. It’s hard to believe much of Chicago burned to the ground in 1871, and that the fire was so hot, it jumped… Continue reading