So we should all take time to savor the simple things. I stood there staring out the window, almost hypnotized. And I began to form a story in my head about a mean king who lives in the red sky. Instead of making him a king made of fire or something else red, I decided he was full of hot air. And I called … Read the rest…
Kids love for things go faster and higher. You probably felt the same way when you were a kid. And maybe you still feel that way sometimes. Especially when challenges pile up. I remember grandparents saying something like “stop wishing your life away.” They had a point. When you’re a kid, you just can’t see how good you’ve got it. Someone else is responsible … Read the rest…
Once upon a time, a young boy named Tony, spent some long, lazy summer days in eastern Kansas. And he and his younger brother sometimes grabbed their fishin’ gear and hiked down by the creek bank in a remote part of the farmland near their mom’s house. It was about a half mile hike along the fence line, on a well-worn tractor trail. The … Read the rest…
Pure water flows through light but still doesn’t have any color. It’s clear. But there are plenty of ways you might see color in water. Of course, there are the obvious ways. Add food coloring. Or paint. Or you could even shine through water in a glass and see a beautiful, colorful prism on the wall. But that’s just bent light. Not real color … Read the rest…
I enjoy dreaming up metaphors for kids. Plain and simple. Because, when I write, I like to hide the deeper meaning just a little below the surface. Try to get ‘em to think. Not just react. I love rhymes. But I also love reason. And by “reason,” of course I mean logic. Read my Rhyme and Reason blog posts and so many of my … Read the rest…
My love for letters and words began long before I set foot in a school. Some of my earliest memories are of my Grandmother and my Mom reading stories and the Sunday “funnies” to me. I think the word pictures those stories and comic strips helped me create led to my lifelong habit of people watching. Especially goofy kids and their families. (By the … Read the rest…
Where I am, right now, is not a place to let a breeze drift in through open windows. Not here and now. Maybe after a couple more months. But here, along the Emerald Coast, it’s still mighty hot and humid. Not open window weather. Here’s why I brought up where I am. Because it was exactly on this day, the 8th of August, over … Read the rest…