Mar 12Member-onlySquirrel in a WarehouseA few people have asked how Rudy, our squirrel, is adjusting to life in the old warehouse we are rehabbing, since I’ve barely mentioned him lately. I’d say he’s like a kid being allowed to live on-site at Disney. With playmates who are available even more than before. Since semi-moving…Squirrels3 min readSquirrels3 min read
Mar 8Member-onlyHare WarsWhile having lunch with a new friend, she mentioned her daughters were recently given a rabbit. The family had experience with goats and horses and chickens and dogs, but never a rabbit. They weren’t sure what to expect. “She’s just a little thing,” said my friend, “but she’s already chasing…Rabbits3 min readRabbits3 min read
Mar 7Member-onlyHazmat Dance PartyFinding Happiness in the Least Likely Location The realization first hit me shortly after Don had to leave Hinton for a few days to return to Atlanta, and I was alone in the big and very old warehouse we purchased a little over a year ago. We had arrived just…Old Buildings3 min readOld Buildings3 min read
Jan 23Puttin’ in the DogIf you live in Hinton, WV, and this is your dog, I swear I’m not trying to steal him. I just like to borrow him from time to time, when I’m in need of a dog fix. After so many years of constant canine companionship, this dog lover finds herself…Dogs3 min readDogs3 min read
Jan 9Member-onlyFinding Freezeland“Isn’t that it?” I asked Don, pointing at the sign for Freezeland Mountain Road. It more resembled a driveway than a road, hidden as it was between houses along New River Road toward Sandstone Falls in West Virginia. Don turned our little Chevy onto the narrow gravel road that wound…3 min read3 min read
Dec 21, 2022A Christmas Wish: To Be a BirdRadio broadcaster Paul Harvey’s distinctive voice and style was a staple in American homes from 1951 until his death in 2009. At Christmas, Harvey would sometimes share a story about a man and some birds. …Christmas3 min readChristmas3 min read
Dec 19, 2022Not Quite the White Christmas I WantedI was recently talking with a friend who has three mixed-breed dogs, all heavy shedders. In this friend’s home is a commercial sized refrigerator because his wife runs a catering business and orders in bulk, so the overflow comes home with her. They love their giant fridge, except for the…3 min read3 min read
Nov 23, 2022Is There a Shortage of Lightbulbs in Hollywood?TV and Movie Pet Peeves Is it just me, or has anyone else noticed there seems to be a shortage of lightbulbs in Hollywood? Pretty much every show I’ve watched recently appears to have been lit by a couple Bic lighters and an iPhone flashlight. I’ve been watching more television…Hollywood3 min readHollywood3 min read
Nov 11, 2022One Flew Over a Spark Birds NestI was listening to a recent episode of This American Life called “Spark Birds,” which is a concept I had not heard of before yet stumbled across several times over the course of the week. In the show’s introductory segment, host Ira Glass talked with bird enthusiast, Noah Strycker, who…3 min read3 min read
Oct 28, 2022Old Fuzzy’s First ColonoscopyThis past summer, I wrote about a week when we traveled from our home in Atlanta to Hinton, WV to work on the three-story warehouse Don and I purchased last year, a place we dubbed Old Fuzzy because the 110-year-old building was so covered in vines it appeared to have…3 min read3 min read
