Kris and Themum woke up to a thunderstorm filled with bright flashes of lightning. Thank goodness they had taken extra time to secure their tents and position them for protection. Because the thunderstorm turned into what Uncle Paulo would describe … Read the rest
Category Archives: Tony Funderburk
Finnar and Sami were what you might call “fast friends.” Well, I certainly would anyway. Because that’s an old and established way to describe a solid friendship built on mutual trust. And only a solid friendship could have done what … Read the rest
It probably wasn’t on your radar. Nope. You probably weren’t wondering about my process for stringing words together to create the rhymes and reasons I share with you. So, when I say I started a 3-verse rhyme with the phrase … Read the rest
Oliver Treze was born to write bright. And that was his answer when anyone asked what he did for a living. He’d smile a quarter smile and reply, “I write bright.” So, every morning, he sat in the shade of … Read the rest
Theo loved drawing and coloring from the moment he could hold a crayon. And his bedroom walls were papered with creations straight out of his wild imagination. Just about every other day he’d ask his mom or dad to get … Read the rest
If you’ve never met the Icle family, you’e certainly missed out on a special treat. First, there’s Grandpa Icle. But most people know him as Pops. Then there’s Uncle Bice Icle. And cousin Trice Icle. Then, there’s King Lear Icle. … Read the rest
Elara lived in the star-island village of Millezza (pronounced milletsa, with the accent on the et). I’m sure you never heard of her or her hometown. Because they’re located at the Northwest corner of the Milky Way Galaxy. Of course, … Read the rest
OK, you’ll enjoy this story much more if you use your best Irish or Scottish accent as you read. Even if you read it to yourself and you don’t read it out loud. You’re already doin’ it. Aren’t ya? Yeah, … Read the rest
Amelia sat by the window. And the soft glow of the evening sunset shined warm shades of orange and yellow across the nursery. As twilight settled on the crib, she hoped tonight would be different. Because her baby, Lily, had … Read the rest
What’s with all these hypnic jerks who bug you just when you’re drifting off to sleep. How incredibly rude! And embarrassing. Sort of. Maybe it’s just me. Have you ever had to deal with ’em as you’re drifting off to … Read the rest
I’m not a fan of hot weather conditions. Yeah, there’s a pun hiding in plain sight, there. But I’m not gonna pun-ish you, more, right now. If you’ve been staying inside to lounge in the coolness of air conditioning, believe … Read the rest
Wow. August the first. And this month started out the same way July ended. HOT! Blazing, triple digits hot. A/C running almost continuously all day hot. And did I mention it was hot? I just looked at my weather app. … Read the rest
I remember learning the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer way before I “went to school.” Naturally, I didn’t get the full meaning of it, at the time. Because I was a little kid. I just loved the … Read the rest
It’s triple digits temps around here again. Multiple triple digits already. And multiple more to come. As a next-door neighbor used to say, “It’s brutal.” And if you don’t have the convenience of modern air conditioning, I can’t imagine you’ll … Read the rest
If you’ve ever seen the movie “Forrest Gump” you might remember seeing a feather dance around him and his surroundings at the bus stop. Of course, I’m sure you’re all savvy enough to know that little feather didn’t make all … Read the rest
Red and white. Red is a bold, beautiful primary color. And white, as I learned in art class (but isn’t absolutely scientifically true) is the absence of color. Put the two of them together, in stripes, and you’ve got a … Read the rest
I never raised any kids of my own. And, for that matter, I never raised anyone else’s kids either. And some people might say that disqualifies me to write songs for kids. But I disagree. Because I WAS a kid. … Read the rest
There’s old-fashioned. And there’s new-fashioned. And sometimes they might be the exact same thing but they don’t sound alike at all. For example, the expression “holding fast” to something. I bet you don’t many, if any who say that. No, … Read the rest
I’m not here to give you a history lesson on ancient Greece and Italy. But I AM gonna share a little bit about Nicopolis, Greece, a city near the shore of the Ionian Sea which leads to the Mediterranean Sea. … Read the rest
In some circles it’s a sort of miter-shaped chess piece that can move diagonally across any number of unoccupied spaces. And you might know this (I didn’t), but it can also be mulled port spiced with oranges, sugar, and cloves. … Read the rest