As I was writing recently, Feb. 28 according to my calendar, it was the last day of winter. I don’t like February. In fact, every year I try to invent a way to cut it from the calendar (apologies to…

The names of dead friends in my contacts list are growing. Embracing mortality with a touch of humor, I’ve been joking for the past few years that I leave the dead ones in so when they outnumber the live ones…

Good writers understand “Brevity is the soul of wit,” which means, keep it short. Add another truth, “A picture is worth a thousand words,” and it’s a wonder we all don’t write comic books. I suppose the 160,000-word novel I…

Blum I received this note from two Italian friends. It reminds me how important America is – not just to us, but to many around the world. In light of Covid, perhaps a celebration of democracy could happen by July…

Blum “Waist deep in the big muddy, and the big fool says to push on.”   – Pete Seeger The Fool referred to in the above lyric was President Lyndon Baines Johnson, who, despite sober assessments that the war in…

Blum “It’s coming on Christmas, they’re cutting down trees, they’re putting up reindeer and singing songs of joy and peace, Oh I wish I had a river, I could skate away on.”    – River,  Joni Mitchell We received our…

Blum How did you spend your Thanksgiving week? The Monday before Thanksgiving, I experienced an abdominal attack that was so concerning we called 911 at two o’clock in the morning. Thirty minutes later, a welcome cavalry of ambulances and EMT’s…

Blum After 54 years of writing, you would think I could place a comma properly: think again. While my ear for proper language is strong, proper written grammar eludes me. My sister, Bessie, an assassin of a copy editor, has…