Author Archives: Wizard Woodsy

November. “Thankful, Grateful, Blessed” clothing and decor everywhere, the pumpkin spice of hard goods. Barf. Maybe I’m a happiness scrooge, but I don’t really think so. It’s more that I need an asterisk after every thankful, grateful, and blessed. I’m certainly thankful* for the good in my life. I’m thankful for my family, my friends,Continue reading “On Asterisks*”

I cried in class this week. I’m not proud of it. I’m not happy about it. I hope I don’t do it again. But, it happened. There was no sobbing, just some tears and an inability to read aloud for a couple minutes. Not my finest moment. Here’s what happened. I was reading the lastContinue reading “On Crying in Class”

What’s it like, a little more than two years into this unrequested life? Well . . . My body has this quirk. Actually, it has several, but I’ll focus on one. Several years ago, I got a thorn in my left knee. I did the appropriate digging and squeezing and tweezing, then forgot about theContinue reading “On Thorns and Forts”

The instant I felt the air shift toward cooler and darker, I knew I’d write about it. A week later, and I’m still processing.  If you know me, you know I love to ride my four-wheeler. There’s a wild freedom, an escape, a transformation that I only feel as I work my way up throughContinue reading “On Wild and Free, Soft and Secret”

On my way home from Springfield yesterday, I drove into, through, and out of heavy rain. Eventually, I was driving directly into the bright sunshine, even though rain was still falling. The sunshine was both beautiful and harsh; a welcome warm glow that hurt my eyes. And yes, behind me was a vibrant double rainbow.Continue reading “On A Rainy Drive”

Last week, some jackwagon(s) helped themselves to the contents of my car, specifically my purse and wallet as well as two cameras, several lenses, flashes, and other accessories. While the thieves were probably after money or things that could be turned into money, their actions have affected me in ways they can’t comprehend. The mostContinue reading “On the Eighth Commandment and Progress”

When I was young, I spent summer days pretending. Pretending my banana-seat bike was my faithful steed, pretending I was (in the vernacular of the day) an Indian scout, pretending the secret space beneath the boughs of two evergreen trees was a fort, pretending I was a spy as I perched in a treetop withContinue reading “A Summer of Grace”

I don’t even remember where I bought this old table—that’s how old it is. Probably a Labor Day flea market, but I couldn’t swear to it. For over 20 years, this table has worked its way through various rooms in my house, serving as a microwave or TV stand, a desk, a vanity, and finally,Continue reading “On Restoration”

It’s normal, as a teacher, to get attached to students, but there’s been nothing normal since Covid descended on our school, our lives, our world in early 2020. Then, in August of 2020, my personal world shattered. My son took his own life. There are days I’m still reeling from his death. I came backContinue reading “For My Seniors”

Life will move along. I’ve always loved spring, but the past two springs were brutal. 2020 brought Covid shutdowns and the beginning of Cooper’s descent. Last spring, 2021, the first spring since Cooper’s death, mushrooming was an exercise in heartbreak. I walked the timber paths, my eyes blurry with tears, and missed him with eachContinue reading “On Life Moving Along”