I wasn’t going to write this morning. After a day at the Ranch on the Knoll, fighting the first sign of ants, I got up early, looking for signs that I’d eliminated the first wave. It appears I have beaten them back, but they are resilient. During discussions with a few other local homeowners, I…
Author: Tim Cotton
May Musings
While the Son and I pounded out two ten-hour days of camp repairs and revelatory renovations, we had to eat. The kitchen has not been restocked, and the salt in the stovetop shakers has solidified to a level that can only be compared to the final iteration of Lot’s wife in the story of Sodom…
Do the Shoes match the Purs…, I Mean, Wallet?
Those are not my sandals. They came in the mail. They actually fit in our streetside mailbox up here on the knoll; the intended recipient’s feet are not all that big, so that’s no surprise. I sent a message to the Significant One regarding the fact that she’d received mail, and she asked that I…
Mummified
I knew it was a bad idea. I placed the order based on my strong recall of freezing on several overnight missions to the camp in the woods. Typically, that happens when I get lazy and let the fire go out before midnight. Oh, and the fact that the Browning Mummy-style sleeping bag was marked…
Spring Chores
From Friday, April 24th, 2026— In a culmination of the long winter’s wait, I’m getting back at it today. The camp in the woods awaits an influx of crusty humans, none under sixty, some over seventy. Most of the participants are sage members of the Breakfast for Schmucks crowd. The outlier is the boy, probably…
SOAP
Epiphanies are few for me, now. The people I hang out with are just about my age. Many of them have let their ability to be surprised slip away over time. It’s easy to be fooled into believing you’ve seen it all. Because none of us have. As a practicing outlier, I’ve honed my senses…
Commonalities in Loss
Never one to embrace statistics, trends, and themes, I’ve noted one; it weaves its way through the comments on my page. That is, mentions of a loved one’s death. No human can avoid death, whether ours or someone we love. And I don’t mind it being mentioned, especially if it helps you cope. Sometimes I…
My Spot
There’s a place that I sit. A place I feel most comfortable. My belief is that we all have “that” space, but maybe I’m crazy. Situated near the back sliding door, with enough glass forward and to the left of me so that I can glance outside without any effort, I find there to be…
Nope
I don’t know what it is. There’s a contingent of humans who believe that if they ask me to speak or write about specifics on the political spectrum, I’ll acquiesce and change my paradigm. To that, I say two things. No. Oh, and isn’t there enough of that available to us? Two emails this week,…
Reading Well
There is a soulful elation that bubbles in their grandfather when I watch these two rascals read together. With the eldest, a fine young lady, there was a time when screen time would be allowed to take precedence. Some minor steering input from her parents immediately changed her favorite pastime to something more fruitful—seen here…