Home Posts | Tim Cotton Writes

Vast, Dense, Lush

Posted on August 5, 2023August 5, 2023 by Tim Cotton

There are many summer days when I must drive away from the woods of Washington County to attend to business a few steps back from the Jagged Edge. While my everyday life is in central Maine, my heart is on the coast. I cannot live there full-time for a myriad of reasons. But on…

Reconnecting

Posted on July 22, 2023July 26, 2023 by Tim Cotton

We decided to meet at a neutral location since we last saw each other in 1969. Originally, we met in a town by a lake. Friday, we met by the ocean. It only made sense. Lonnie is a teacher in southern Maine—music. Of course, there was no way I could have known what he would…

Flight to the Death

Posted on June 13, 2023 by Tim Cotton

The loud thump with a ringing resonance brought me out of dreamland, causing me to sit upright to clear the sleep from my head. “What the heck was that?” It sounded like the metallic PLUNK of an ancient steel gas can as it adjusts to a quick change in temperature. I am so sorry if…

Fully-Chained Melody

Posted on June 1, 2023June 1, 2023 by Tim Cotton

It stands to reason that I was ignoring the sounds. Sometimes, I have the house music turned up too loud too, so I am sure I’ve missed many of the joyous exclamations blurted out with nary a worry about how it sounds or whom it bothers. My often open bedroom window is within earshot of…

The Solecism of Suppressing Sadness

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Tim Cotton

I grew up with a lot of uncles. I am down to two that I know of. Like any family, the cruelty of death’s uncontrollable attrition removed many of them from contention of being my current favorite. No one would consider us close-knit, but I have had affection and respect for all of them….

The First Dip

Posted on April 24, 2023April 24, 2023 by Tim Cotton

The dip wasn’t planned, like most things I do. On the drive to the camp in the woods, I determined that if I did put the water line into the lake, it could be the earliest date that it ever occurred. For crying out loud, it’s still April. I knew the ice went out around…

Mud Season Mutterings

Posted on March 27, 2023 by Tim Cotton

The last good walk with the dog in tow, or vice versa, was about four weeks ago. The snow got too deep, the hill too steep, and even she was huffing and puffing—fighting through the snow drifts. I’ll admit that I was huffing and puffing with more vigor. Some might look at it as distress….

AI Can’t Find My Way Out of Here-Pull the Plug

Posted on March 21, 2023 by Tim Cotton

I am writing today to notify the regulars that I will never utilize artificial intelligence in creating my blog posts. Not even on ‘the Facebook.’ From this simpleton’s point of view, I think it borders on electronic plagiarism. Even if only used to gather an idea for a post. Yes, the strange things I come…

Looking Forward

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Tim Cotton

The promises of spring on the Jagged Edge of America wake me up earlier than ever. My dad always told me that I should plan something short-term and long-term that I looked forward to doing. I have trouble focusing on the long term, so I select things, events, or milestones only three or four months…

Friends and Gutters

Posted on March 5, 2023 by Tim Cotton

I removed another annoyance from my life this week. All it took was three phone calls and an outlay of cash. While it wasn’t cheap, it wasn’t all that expensive. I’d never gotten an estimate before. Each time I walked under the leaking gutter, I would look up and survey the entire length. Being a…

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