Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, June 13, 2020, 9:53 a.m. What have I learned from the great vacant year of 2020? I’ve got plenty of time to ponder this absence of normality. It’s only half over as the calendar flies. The pandemic is a house fire that continues to flare up every time it looks like …
Tag: writing
At Least The World Is Turning Laps Again
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, May 21, 2020, 10:42 a.m. Mainly I have been writing about stock car racing. Mainly stock car racing is what is going on, whether at the dirt track in Laurens or the paved superspeedway in Darlington. The gates aren’t open, but the cars are going around and around. I’m sure there’s …
Dreeeaaaam, Dream, Dream, Dreeeaaaam …
Clinton, South Carolina, Tuesday, April 28, 2020, 8:48 a.m. She was a level-headed dancer / On the road to alcohol / And I was just a soldier / On my way to Montreal … That I think a lot about John Prine songs is in part because he recently died, but it’s also because I …
Satire at Sunset
Clinton, South Carolina, Saturday, April 18, 2020, 8:37 a.m. Back when I traveled most of the country, writing about race cars that went ’round and ’round and the mostly white men who drove them, my favorite device was not a shock absorber but its literary equivalent, satire. Once -- it was in Dover, Delaware, I …
What Comes to Mind Today
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, April 9, 2020, 11:28 a.m. If the country is pulling together, you can’t prove it by Facebook. I’ll stop blaming President Twitter when he stops blaming everyone else. The best reason to watch replays of old sporting events is that at least it’s sports. The worst thing is that everyone knows …
Dre-e-e-e-eam, Dream, Dream, Dre-eam
Clinton, South Carolina, Thursday, March 26, 2020, 11:29 a.m. Last night I dreamed in peaceful sleep of shady summertime of old dogs, and children, and watermelon wine. – Tom T. Hall I wish. Two nights ago, I dreamed I was covering a soccer match, and players started stopping in their tracks and falling unconscious to …
The Age of Chicken Little
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, March 22, 2020, 9:16 a.m. Everywhere people say the sky is falling. Never mind that it is. Mostly, when my “land line” rings, it is either my mother or someone who wants my money. I hang up so often, one would in earlier times think me inconsiderate. My cell plays tricks, …
While I Breathe, I Hope
Clinton, South Carolina, February 29, 2020, 11:54 a.m. Life is fatal for everyone. I have reached the age where I am one germ away from disaster. I suppose this is somewhat true for everyone, but more of a worry as people age. As such, I am wary but unafraid. The so-called coronavirus is not a …
Biscuits, Coffee and Fellowship
Clinton, South Carolina, Wednesday, February 12, 2020, 8:33 p.m. The morning was something of a disaster. I had been up well past midnight, as usual, after writing about the basketball games, Clinton High ones, which represented both the Devil (Red) and the deep, blue sea. The girls’ team won the region championship. The boys finished …
Rivulets of Racing
Clinton, South Carolina, Sunday, January 26, 2020, 11:21 a.m. Two characteristics, thoughtfulness and dread, characterize my awakenings. Arriving to consciousness is shortly followed by coffee and medication, and it usually makes me think. That’s why I’ve gotten in the habit of posting on Facebook each morning and writing a blog when I’ve got time and …
Nightrider's Lament 