Stories of Suspense with a Sense of Humor
I had the pleasure of attending my brother-in-law’s funeral last week. The pleasure was not in seeing Bucky dead, but in having the chance to see family. Also, this was in a small town in western Wisconsin, and I’m a sucker for small towns. The first time I met Bucky was thirty-one years ago. Without … Read more
Back in fifth grade, I started having panic attacks over being late to school. That was the year my older brothers had moved on to high school, leaving me to walk by myself. It was an odd combination of growing social awareness, self-image, and basically being a baby about things. I could have walked with … Read more
When I was a kid, I memorized all the dialogue in the old sit-com Hogan’s Heroes. Unless you’re of a certain age, you probably haven’t heard of the show. It made a mockery of the suffering caused by World War II, portraying Germans as buffoons, and made space for Colonel Hogan—a prisoner of war—to get … Read more
I grew up in the hey-day of sugar cereals, back when they didn’t even bother to disguise their main ingredient. Back then, Corn Pops were Sugar Pops, and Honey Smacks were Sugar Puffs, and Golden Crisps were Super Sugar Crisps. Our father hated the idea of sugar on cereal, and he periodically banned them from … Read more
The holidays are upon us and regardless of how, or if, you celebrate, we all have feelings around this time of year. If nothing else, it’ll soon—SOON!—be the Winter Solstice, which means days will start getting longer. If you live closer to the 45th parallel than the Tropic of Cancer, it’s a big deal. We … Read more