Free-Floating Stories+

Fun fiction...cudda happened I had my annual physical the other day…Oops, you’re supposed to call it chronic review or Medicare won’t cover it. So, during my chronic review, when the doctor looked at my bruised bicep, he paused and asked, “What the hell happened to your arm? Did you fall or something?”  I started to … Continue reading Dry Eyes

Getting past the mask I was chugging along barely faster than a brisk walk on my morning run around the park near my house. It’s not far, maybe two miles at the most. Just a good way to wake up and get bed-muscles stretched. Up ahead, I spotted a woman shuffle-jogging toward me. She had … Continue reading Connection in the Time of Covid

a model for our future together? It’s possible to experience small town living even if you live in Chicago. I’m talking about our 60-cottage resort across the pond in Michigan. Folks commute most weekends from May to November to enjoy the beach and pool and the friendships built up over the years. We’ve watched each … Continue reading Getting Along at a Get-away

Can you ever fill-in a lifetime with words I was walking on the people mover at O’Hare, heading home, dinner waiting, when I caught a glimpse of a woman. She was on a restaurant stool overlooking foot traffic. I stopped walking and moved to the stationary lane to prolong my sighting. Could it be Sherri? … Continue reading World Enough and Time…

sometimes being there is more important than words My buddy Joe set down his third beer on my back steps. Then he got this misty look in his eye. “Yeah, remember the time we stayed in this log cabin motel near Cadillac to go skiing the next morning at Caberfae?” “Caberfae? Vaguely…” “Yeah, that was … Continue reading Getting Through It

when statues disappear Sitting outside the Starbucks on Taylor street in Chicago’s Little Italy, I sip my latte macchiato. Something is missing but I can’t put my finger on it. I grew up here as a kid and it’s always nice to get back. Snag a plate of spaghetti and neck bones at Pompei. Buy … Continue reading Where Have You Gone, Joe DiMaggio?

Man the hunter as a 10 yr old with a b-b gun             The fat wren tipped over. Fluttered its wings. Rolled off the garage roof across the yard and fell to the ground. I was stunned. I hadn’t thought I would ever hit one, let alone kill it. I knelt next to the little … Continue reading Wrens, Rabbits and Turkeys

Older folks can feel overlooked, ignored. This is a short piece to take you there. I’m an old man, okay? I’m finally starting to realize that. Slowly. One loss at a time. For instance, I used to run to and around a neighborhood park before breakfast three times a week. Now I walk there and … Continue reading I Am Not a Fire Plug

Natural calamities and Social Change Once, some forty years ago, Lake Michigan lapped the stairs at the base of the bluff in front of my house. This year the water level is again high, allowing Leviathon to demolish my steps, take a monster bite out of my cliff and drag trees to his watery lair … Continue reading A Second Beachhead

Two stories and feedback guides for kids at home The Quiet Game Carrie sprawled in the shade of the cliff that ran along the Lake Michigan shoreline, her ankle swelling into a black and blue softball. Why did I have to come so far? she wondered. Two miles past the creek. To see deer tracks … Continue reading The Quiet Game + Study Guide/The Story Teller + Study Guide