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TASKMASTER: WHY FINISHING A TASK FEELS SO GOOD

August 30, 2020 by

A taskmaster assigns work for others. In a marriage, that person is the husband, or wife. If two people are lucky enough to have kids, finishing tasks set a good example. Kids who take up the idea that a finished project feels good make their parents proud. But where does it start? How does it […]

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AGING PARENT PROTESTS GETTING OLD

July 22, 2020 by

An aging parent is the hardest part for kids growing up. We like them in their prime years, when they could do anything, and did. The part the kids never understand is how long we get to be an aging parent.

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FATHER’S DAY INSPECTION

June 21, 2020 by

This is a Father’s Day inspection I’m glad I didn’t see as a kid. My dad is the guy with the sword. A sword?

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STAYING GUN SILENT IS NOT MY STRONG SUIT

August 5, 2019 by

The idea of gun silent goes against the grain. Guns are not silent, just the opposite. The only gun silent people I know are gun people who share the idea that the only person who needs to know if they have a gun will know. They aren’t into the show and tell, the technical talk, […]

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PERFECT FATHER’S DAY PORTLAND PRIDE PARADE

June 17, 2019 by

A Portland pride parade shows the city like no other parade on the schedule. Rose Festival parade, Twilight parade, I’ve seen them. Chinese New Year parade? I’ve walked with the dragons twice. I’m kind of a Portland parade guy. I like walking in the streets without having to watch for cars. The wife and I […]

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WHAT I LEARNED BY STARTING A RANGE FIRE

March 15, 2019 by

Like how to put it out. During a high school sports trip a team in two vans drove through Wyoming. If memory serves, Wyoming was the closest state to Oregon selling fun fireworks like bottle rockets and firecrackers after a lifetime of sparklers and Piccolo Petes. Since we were high school guys in both vans, […]

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BIG MOMENTS CHANGE LIFE DIRECTION

February 5, 2019 by

The first thought I have when I hear someone complain about their life going nowhere fast? ‘Then do something to change your life direction.’ Do I give advice on what to change? Oh, hell no. My advice to boomerpdx readers follows the same line of thinking: Don’t offer advice to someone complaining about their life […]

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WRITE A BOOK, THEY SAID, IT’LL BE FUN

January 17, 2019 by

    Long form writing is like a walk in the woods with no map. In the dark. With animal noises. And cliffs on both sides of the trail. If that isn’t a picture of adventure, what is? And all you need to do is sit down and write. And stay down. For a long […]

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FAMILY TIES OVERCOME SOME THINGS, NOT OTHERS

January 9, 2019 by

    Everyday I wake up I see a little gold tree with small family portraits hanging from the bare branches. Maybe you’ve got one that looks like the top image? That’s not mine. Mine used to be on my childhood fireplace mantle beside my grandfather’s railroad watch. Now I’ve got them both, and they’ve […]

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Funeral Feelings Expressed With Shovels And Sweat, Salt And Sea Water

September 1, 2018 by

  “My father always wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the baby at every christening,” said his daughter.     My father had a cowboy funeral.   Instead of the nearest Boot Hill, his ceremony happened in the veterans section a big cemetery.   People from every […]

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