October Musings – Tim Cotton Writes

I think it was the film “The Long, Long Trailer” from 1953 that bubbles up from deep within my cerebral cortex, with visions of creating a retro camping trailer site on this tiny piece of land.

I don’t base my life decisions on “I Love Lucy” episodes, but I watched a lot of them in reruns over the years. I still channel Fred Mertz when someone has an idea that is less than terrific. William Frawley was an excellent actor and a world-class grumpy old man.

I suspect my love/hate relationship with an RV (something which I have never owned) comes from believing that the open roads are where adventure lies.

I digress.

I don’t spend much time on this less than 100′ by 100′ plot, but it overlooks my bunkhouse. If you squint, you can see the lake through the trees. The view gets better in the winter when the leaves have all been blown south. I tore down the camp that once stood here. I was sad to do it, but some things are not salvageable without a bank book that is thick with the residue of working harder or smarter than I did for a living.

The well, hand-dug, had to be filled in with rocks to make it a safe place for someone to wander around, but I saved a nice pile of big rocks for the little campsite that I someday would like to create up there.

The thing is, I don’t really want any company, so the trailer can be small, old, and in reasonable condition. Then, I’m off to find my version of Steinbeck’s pickup truck, Rocinante, to park in front of it.

I’d like to drive into the camp and see the full-sized diorama of a life that plays only in my head, preferably in black and white.

I double digress.

I had a sizable trailer hooked to my truck, and I didn’t feel like backing it down the hill when I returned from the dump run. I parked it up on the hill and walked down to the camp to gather up Ellie and my duffel bag to get on the road towards home. I’d not walked around the lot in a while, always in a hurry to get to the camp to start one project or the other three that never get finished.

I took a couple of photos, then realized my dirty laundry was hanging out of my duffel bag. Nonetheless, that’s life as I live it. Folding be darned.

Ellie stayed out of the photos, walking up the hill further, waiting to be called six or seven times so she would return from her adventure, while I shook off the tiny dream of mine. I have so much more important stuff to do. Like finish that stinking novel.

But, dang, those tiny boulders I saved are gonna look good in some arrangement. Someday.

We loaded up and drove home. Like my Dad said, “You gotta have things you look forward to; fun things.”

That’s all I’ve got.

From the Jagged Edge of America, I remain,

Thanks for your support, folks. Books, Buymeacoffee, subscriptions on the Faceplant page, stars, you name it. I appreciate it. tc

Coffee & Chocolate

Barnes & Noble

This is one of the best books I have read in years. It has tenderness and warm, gentle humor - and several laugh out loud spots. Give yourself a gift and read this. You will better about life.

Amazon Customer October 9, 2020

Amazon

I loved every bit of this book. I’ve been following the Bangor Police page and then Tim Cotton’s page on Facebook for years now. I think of it as a tiny little piece of my day that I can count on to make me feel something – usually something good, comforting in some way, occasionally a wee bit of sadness, but sad in that wistful way that a person appreciates. This man writes the way I often find myself thinking in my own head. He points out all the commonalities that we have as people, rather than the differences. The differences he writes about are the superficial ones, and the ones that make us interesting. I stretched this book out for quite a long time, reading a chapter or two in between other books. It’s a great place to turn when a person wants to occupy their minds with something peaceful that helps us to understand the world and our place in it just a little more.

Unhappy July 1, 2020

I’ve enjoyed Tim Cotton’s stories and ramblings on Facebook (or The Book of Faces, as he calls it) for a while now. And having a whole book of his musings is the reading equivalent of binge watching Netflix (something I’ve only recently learned about during the lockdown). Cotton talks about the little things and he tells it like it is. But it would be a mistake to say he has ‘no filter’ – he most definitely has a filter and it’s a filter of kindness and compassion. I liked Chapter 5 ‘The Cop’ best. It’s more fictional than the rest, and I hope it’s a hint of a novel to come?

Wrenn December 30, 2020

I have read this book 4 times now; the first 2 times I read it slowly, trying not to let it end too soon. I decided to read a few other things after that – Hamlet, Great Expectations, A Time to Kill, A Time for Mercy, Little Women. The entire time I was reading those books I longed to go back and read The Detective in the Dooryard again. When I picked it up for the third time, I felt like I was sitting down with an old friend I hadn’t seen in years, the kind you know so well you can pick right back up where you left off. The Detective in the Dooryard is a collection of stories, some about Tim Cotton’s experiences as a Bangor, Maine police officer and Detective; some are about memories of things that shape us all into who we are today. Tim often references music, mostly from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Just the mention of a song’s title makes me remember growing up and coming of age during those years, and I am immediately taken back to people, places and events in my past – some good, some bad, but always just as clear as if I were there. Tim’s writing is so descriptive you feel as if you are there inside each story as well; some of his writing actually takes my breath away. There is a lot of humor, wry sarcasm, wit, and deft handling of sometimes difficult subjects. This book is the touch of your Mother’s hand on your forehead when you’re sick, your favorite treat as a child; it’s coming home. Can’t wait for the next one

Hannah January 6, 2021

This book is like a warm hug. I honestly don’t want to put it down, but I also don’t want it to end. The struggle is real. It is not a mystery that you think you can figure out and refuse to put it down to prove to yourself you’re smarter than the author, but it feels so good and real you want to read more. Maybe I’m biased because I grew up in Maine and Tim Cotton’s lyric writings immediately put me back in the Maine woods and setting sun as I try to get every bit of light to take in the last bit of beauty from the day. It really is poetic, and funny, and relatable. You don’t have to be a big old sentimental Mainer like me to thoroughly enjoy this book, you just have to be a human living in a chaotic world looking for a happy release. Would I recommend this book; YES, SIR! Will I be giving up my copy any time soon, probably not. I know I’ll pick this book up whenever I need a warm hug, a feeling that I’m home in Maine snuggled up on my gram’s homemade quilt, and a moment of happy calm. Pick this up and enjoy! You’re welcome!

TIM COTTON WRITES

Coffee & Chocolate

Amazon Customer October 9, 2020

Unhappy July 1, 2020

Wrenn December 30, 2020

Hannah January 6, 2021