His Muse tickled his fingertips as the word of the storm came in. “A foot of rain in a couple days.” Morning, Fools! Welcome, April! Spring Storm The rain begins to fall Heavy drops on the window pane, Black clouds in a flat black sky, A flash of lightning again. A spring storm has come […]

I was out in the garden today – an absolutely gorgeous spring day in the Great Dismal Swamp… Everything is growing and budding and it is deliciously warm out! Welcome Spring The sun is out, the ground is warm, Day lilies pushing up, My Muse and I in the garden, At the door one of […]

A silver Moon in a lapis sky, Perhaps a hint of frost, But tree frogs chirp to greet the dawn, And winter’s hard edge seems lost. Small buds seem to fill all the trees, Though the grass is still brown and dead, And no daffodils or day Lillies yet, But all the trees are tipped […]

Thank God Arrias answered the bell this morning- he captured the moments before Splash slid the tablet across the conference table. Displayed was a large format of Vic’s upper leg with some impressive new deep incisions. DeMille rejected it, of course, but in this week in this town the display had a certain resonance with […]

Socotra Proof of Life An abridged version of yesterday’s segment of the adventure, then Arrias and a muffled silence… I was goint to inlude the medical notes about the surgeyyesterday which seems to have gone well. Today less shooting pain in my leg, so a great release. That is my proof of life for today, […]

January 1st 2024 to January 1st 2025 , Here a win, there a loss, History seemed to be repeating As we stumbled closer to chaos. We started off with a bang, Navy Helos gunned some pirates, Got to wonder ‘bout the Houthis Seem to be tempting the fates. But tragedy in east Asia, A horror […]

Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke, the Elder, mastermind of the Franco-Prussian War (among others), said that “Errors in tactics can be corrected on the next battle, but errors in strategy can only be corrected in the next war.” By strategy, he meant the overarching war plan of a nation. And his point was that if […]

A crescent Moon is waning, But the sky – an inky black, Ghostly clouds dart silently by, A fleet of ships maneuvering for attack. Frost is building on the roof, With Thanksgiving a week away, The Dismal Swamp seems mighty cold In this mid Autumn day. Brew some tea, feed the dogs, Two deer glide […]

On the north side of a runway, at an airfield about 60 miles west of Gdansk, Poland, about 10 miles from the Baltic, lies a US Navy operated installation. It is a missile defense base – known as AEGIS Ashore. It was just declared fully operational just a week or so ago, though it has […]

Birch and Pine and Maple, A stand a broad oak trees, Northern forest, hardwoods and soft, And a cold, hard winter breeze. The leaves are falling to the ground, Snow now on the mountain tops, Hear the rustle in the wood, As each leaf through the branches drops. All prepare for winter, Working hard all […]