The ShoeDown
I believe we call this, The Competition. Repair or replace? From a shoe cart in Istanbul to a cowboy boot cobbler in Colorado Springs, it’s been quite a year already. … Continue reading
Novi Sad Part II: Chuck Norris Drowns the Ocean
My hosts take me to the hill by the Clock Tower. We pause. They confer and the beautiful girl sighs at them, and asks me if I would mind drinking … Continue reading
PTI. The Chicken Truck
Novi Sad, Part II on Monday. First, this chicken truck in Grünwald, Germany and a line from the brilliant Flannery O’Connor. This is on my mind today. * Blick’s Feed … Continue reading
Novi Sad, Part I
Most of the girls in town have long, straight-cut bangs that make a horizon over their eyebrows. Most of the girls hold cigarettes in their unsmiling mouths. They pout like … Continue reading
The Beloved
It’s an ordinary stoplight. Everyone waiting for permission to move on. And the blonde dog shivers, always nervous to ride in the car, even after an adventurous walk through the … Continue reading
Summer, Childhood, Shades
“I know what’s wrong with me,” he told the doctor. “Acute nostalgia. I want to be young again. Is there a cure for that?” –Antal Szerb. Journey By Moonlight … Continue reading
If The Shoe Rips
There’s a Norman Rockwell-styled advertisement featuring a cobbler diligently crafting some durable soles. He is sketched in a moment of peering up from his trade to twinkle at the artist. … Continue reading
Pretty Much Every Love Story
She wanted things to be somehow as they had been, or as they had never quite been but might have been, or might be if only things were different which … Continue reading
My Favorite Things
Perhaps he thought acting natural would mean he could escape my blog. However, he was a.) an old man, b.) wearing navy suspenders, c.) using a cane, and d.) eating … Continue reading
A Donut Day In Swimsuit Season
The woman at the register greeted the next pair in line warmly, “I’ll take the next…Hi.” The mother stepped forward, her son jumped and danced up alongside her. “Well, don’t … Continue reading
Good Health. You’re Welcome.
Life can be hard for non-smokers who don’t have the tasks and belongings of smokers to keep their hands busy. Instead must find ways to deal with our hands, to … Continue reading
The Ideal
The young mother held her daughter’s hand as the tiny girl leapt off the curb, hustled ahead, then slowed down–her mother’s arm was a satisfactory tether. The open-air shopping center … Continue reading
Dreaming Unfinished Stories (Vienna Edition)
There were so many stories to write about that Miss Willerton never could think of one. That was always the hardest part of writing a story, she always said. She … Continue reading
Visas and Patience
He took the window seat and buckled himself in. His adult daughter shuffled belongings around the overhead compartment and gave commentary on her discomfort. He nodded at her words, not … Continue reading
Lawn Pilot
Still only one-third of the way through his job–navigating a riding lawnmower over two acres in front of the Lutheran church–he delighted in shredding each swath. He chose a bright … Continue reading
The Same
There is no great difference in reality between one country and another, because it is always people you meet everywhere. They may look different or be dressed differently, they may … Continue reading
I’m Thinking Lovely
She parks in the first spot outside Arby’s, and he waits patiently in the passenger side, readying his oxygen tank as she comes slowly around the long Buick. She wrestles … Continue reading
Skip the Map
If you find yourself asking: How did I get here? Isador once said, that probably means you are living a life worth living. –Aleksandar Hemon. The Lazarus Project (yes, AGAIN. … Continue reading
Spring Training
The humidity hasn’t kicked in yet. So the parks are packed with people: joggers, parents with strollers, cyclists, pet owners, families having picnics. At the site of one such picnic, … Continue reading
Night Game
After dinner the small boy stood at the far side of the lawn with his back to the street. He focused on a point in front of him, waiting for … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 