Travels where I live — I am staying for a few days in Merville, which is a small community (also described as a hamlet) between Campbell River and Courtenay on Vancouver Island, in the beautiful Comox Valley. The population is just a couple of thousand people and there isn’t much in the way of stores…

Falling with no way to stop — He was falling off the ledge Done with this life It was all he could think about At work At home His skin craved Brain, sensations Every part of him wanted With an intensity Nothing could distract from it Not driving fast Not a cigarette Not food Even sex It…

Would time travel help change the difficult things of the past? — I was thinking about regrets the other day. Or maybe do-overs. Times in my life when disaster struck and perhaps if I could go back in time I could change the outcome. Like when my son got hit by a car. Could I fix that? Stop my boy from riding…

And an embarrassing incident at the store — She went into the grocery store. She had picked up the personal lubricant at the pharmacy next door when she renewed her blood pressure medication. Stuck it directly in her purse. No need for a bag for one small thing like that. It was the first formal date with Stan…

Travels close to home — The other day someone asked me about volcanoes. And why we never have them here. Well, actually we did. Right here in my country of Canada. The Nass River valley area of BC is home to the Nisga’a Memorial Lava Bed Provincial Park and is the site of Canada’s most…

And there are no rules for fat women — He said fat women should not wear bright or light colors They should wear dark-colored pants Nothing skin tight Never shorts No leggings Forget going to the beach His fashion criteria for the obese women Was strict and regimented Rule bound He didn’t seem to have any for men The standards…

The hardest part of parenting — I didn’t realize how hard it would be when the kids grew up. We had sixteen, twelve by adoption, and four by birth. I kind of called them the first eight and the second eight. The first eight arrived between 1980 and 1996. Then in 2000, we moved to a…

In a canoe, on a pond — The curl of her hair made him crazy In love that is Along with her freckles, maybe her breasts too And the way she giggled Dropped the side of the canoe Adjusted her hat She loved his overgrown beard Piercing blue eyes Kindness to his smile They made it to…

Sometimes leads to a surprise — Cass woke with her head throbbing and a sense that something was spinning on the ceiling. Then she realized there was. It was a ceiling fan. One of those ugly old wooden ones with slats that angled out. She watched it for a few minutes and realized several things. That…