Wildcat Creek Journal

My new book is out on kindle! Purchase your copy here and leave me a review. Paperback will be released soon. I'll update when it is released. Link to order below: Wildcat Creek Journal: Selected Stories and Prose

Sometimes late in the evening, the mood hits me, and I grab my hat and walking staff and head off in whatever direction I so choose. I do some of my best writing as I walk, because there is always something new, undiscovered, waiting just around the next bend, no matter how many times I have taken that same path.
Lately, I have neglected to walk like I should, even when my doctor instructs me to do so. Though the kind of walking she speaks of so often is more than a mere sauntering at a slow and contemplative pace like I prefer, I understand that I need to get my heart rate up in order for the exercise to do my body any good.
As far as elevating my spirit, however, there's nothing like a nice evening walk in the summertime. Or autumn, spring, or winter for that matter. In all seasons there are so many things to see, to draw inspiration from. 
Just to get out and place my feet on solid ground, feel the earth move beneath me, improves my mental clarity, helps to relieve my stress and a…

For many years, I have struggled to manage my weight, get into and stay in shape, and do all the things that I need to do in order to keep myself healthy so that I can enjoy all the things in life that bring me so much joy.
When I was growing up, like many of you, I didn't have much of a choice of what I would and would not eat. At my mother's table, it was Eat it or starve: the choice is yours.
As an "adult," I pretty much have free range of whatever food I want. The problem is, though, I always go for the cheeseburger or pizza, not the fresh vegetables and lean cuts of meat.
Another issue that I face is that, for all my life, I have been an emotional eater. Yes, I eat when I'm sad or sort-of depressed, but also go overboard when I am happy, proud, embarrassed, anxious, amused, fearful, surprised, uncertain, relaxed... you get the point.
I used to really enjoy food and cooking, but now with the way things are in the world, and how busy our day to day life has become…

Late evening haze, the warm glow of sun on the surface riffles of the North Fork finds me casting a hare's ear soft hackle, mending the drift downstream, trying to keep from hanging up in the tangled arms of a half-submerged yellow poplar tree that fell sometime in the squall of late winter, strong icy winds blowing across the lower mountains, at the foot of the Blue Ridge escarpment.
There are not very many trout here, in fact, I don't know if the state DNR even stock this stream anymore like they once did. What fish I do catch here are usually good ones, though, and put up one hell of a fight to match the struggle an angler must endure to locate and catch one of these wild, holdover fish. 
This stream is moody. At times, she is as calm and lazy as a summer day, water slow as a glass of fine wine. Other times, she becomes a handful, rough and dangerous, full of pent-up rage, making it difficult for even the most skilled of waders to stand in her powerful current. The waters of …

I had a little help with our garden today. These two young ladies like doing most anything that requires getting dirty, or allows them to play with worms, or having a chance sighting of a garden mole. This afternoon, we dug one up, and it wouldn't do until I had captured the fuzzy little bugger in my cap for further study.


We worked the soil together, me making sure nobody loses a toe or finger to the hoe, or ruins a foot with the garden claw. Safety first. We had a few disagreements over who got to use what, so I made them take turns.
We planted a few hills of squash and cucumber, some Cherokee purple tomatoes, plus bell and cayenne peppers. In another location we will plant watermelons. Hopefully some of the plants will make it to adulthood. I have a tendency to kill things. I've always had a brown thumb, except when it comes to weeds.

Now I'm sitting on the patio, resting my back and swollen knees. Getting old sucks. I never thought I'd see the day when I would have to…

At our house, we don't watch the news anymore. All we get are snippets from social media posts, most of which only exacerbate the feelings of fear and dread of our collective psyche.
There's the occasional press conferences we will listen to, ones that directly effect our region, state, and community. We're not ignorant about what's going on across the nation, across the globe, neither are we in denial of the dire situation we face each day during this pandemic.
I told my children yesterday that we're living through a period in time that will be looked back on for centuries. Their lives, too, have been interrupted. I realize that it's my job to provide for them some sense of normalcy. We spend as much time outside as we can. 
So far, my job is holding up. Each day is a constant worry of how I would provide for my family, should I find myself without an income. 
Every one of us will be affected by this, if not by the virus itself, by the economical situation. Family…