I took the wrong turn late last year on a country road. Technically, it wasn’t much of a wrong turn because now I don’t remember why I was on the road. So, by chance I ended up pulling a U-turn by a field packed with dead plants. On closer inspection I saw that they wereContinue reading “Attack of the Sunflowers”
Author Archives: 67steffen
The Social Media Trigger
Social media can be a loaded gun in the wrong hands, mine, for example. I tapped too many buttons yesterday resulting in duplications of a post that really needed only one chance, not three, to register. I am certain that no harm came to anyone other than to me as the incident brought back memories ofContinue reading “The Social Media Trigger”
Backyard Honey Bees
The honeybee population is declining everywhere but in my backyard. Nationwide beekeepers say they’ve lost at least 40 percent of their beehives. These bees pollinate fruits, vegetables and nuts, or put another way, without bees we would lose a third of our crops, according to experts. The decline of bees appears to follow the widespreadContinue reading “Backyard Honey Bees”
Bee Extraction
I couldn’t see what I was doing when I swept the honey bees into a shoe box–they were reunited with their queen later that night.
Honeybees in My Backyard
The honeycombs in my fence would be nearly covered at night when the workers returned from a day of collecting nectar. This photo was taken in the daytime.
Meaning of Life Inside an Audio Cassette
Sometimes the meaning of life can be found in an old audio cassette. Take my self-inscribed “Vet Rock,” a collection of late 1960 songs I taped off of vinyl records (The Doors, The Who, Steppenwolf, etc.), scratches and all in 1971. I had just been honorably discharged from the U.S. Army after two yearsContinue reading “Meaning of Life Inside an Audio Cassette”
Baseball Moon
Today’s moment is brought to you by heat exhaustion. I was 63, in full catcher’s gear in 95-degree heat late in the game—oh, and this is hardball. I’m in the squat. The pitcher supposedly hurled for the Baltimore Orioles decades ago. His ball still moves. I start to see stars. Strike One, a fastball rightContinue reading “Baseball Moon”
The Polish Homer
My grandmother, who was born in Poland, came to United States when she was 13. She lived with us briefly in New Jersey when I was about 7 and she was in her 70’s–her English was still “broken.” But she stayed long enough to introduce me to four important food groups: borscht, potato pancakes, kielbasaContinue reading “The Polish Homer”
Two Photos For America
Veterans, myself included, gathered in a building in San Francisco last week for a variety of reasons. News reporters roamed the halls looking for stories already written in their heads. They simply needed some veterans, preferably those who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan, to give their name and the expected comments about serving our countryContinue reading “Two Photos For America”
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