historical fiction writer, amateur photographer, retired computer guru and math geek
Whaddaya mean it's still January???? Will the snow gods never stop? Our total is now over 130" (our yearly average is 120"). And pity the poor north country. Their totals are nearly THREE TIMES as much as ours. Even the snowblower has given up.
For sixty-two years, I've needed glasses to see clearly. As of Wednesday, I am eyeglass free! I had cataract surgery in my left eye, and my vision is clear enough that I don't need to wear glasses even though my right eye won't be done until the 29th. Now, if you have never had to … Continue reading Oh, say! I can see!
A long, long time ago (or so it seems) we had winters that started in October and ended around April Fool's Day. With LOTS of snow. Living 20 miles or so from Lake Ontario almost always guarantees that. But lately, that hasn't been so. Call it global warming if you will. Last winter we had … Continue reading A Winter to Remember
I'm a little late, but I'd like to acknowledge some of the war veterans in my world. First and foremost, my partner, Charlie who served in the US Army from 1966-1969 and was in Vietnam for nine months. Sergeant Charles J. Crary Many of you know of my uncle, Allen Benton, the inspiration for my … Continue reading Honoring Veterans Every Day
October is a busy month in the sports community. Baseball season is all over but for the playoffs. Football is in full swing, other sports are starting or ending. I do love a good football game. I'm a big Syracuse University fan for both football and basketball. But when it comes to in-person games, the … Continue reading Goodbye, Boys of Summer, Hello Winter Warriors
Too many times, we learn only one side of a story. I believe it’s important to be informed of all perspectives before I make any judgment. In the case of the many Arab-Israeli conflicts since the early 1900s, I’ve mostly learned the Israeli side, beginning with the Holocaust and the creation of an Israeli state … Continue reading Book Review: “The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine” by Rashid Khalidi
Tomorrow's the day! My Blog Tour from Coffee Pot Book Club sets off for a week of website visits. Each site will feature a post promoting War Sonnets with a blurb, an excerpt from the book, and an author bio. (Links to each site are listed below the image.) If you haven't bought your copy … Continue reading War Sonnets Blog Tour
At Stane Hame, a first-century tribal village near Cullykhan Bay in Scotland, Mooragh, spiritual leader of the Caledonia tribe known as the Taezali, worships at the standing stone--the place where she hears the Goddess.* They communicate with visions: Mooragh is mute. She is also young--perhaps in her teens. Far too young to be a spiritual … Continue reading Book Review: Sisters at the Edge of the World, by Ailish Sinclair
In September, 1942, Tadashi is on a troop carrier in the East China Sea en route to the Philippines when their ship is hit by a monsoon. As the ship rocks violently, as men are blown overboard and booms toppled, Tadashi fears that his decision to leave his family and defend his country will have … Continue reading The Poetry of “War Sonnets”: En Route to War
In the spirit of our recently celebrated Independence Day, I'd like make a proposal: National Service. It's true that military conscription is not the issue it was when I was a youth. Back then we protested being forced to participate in a war that we considered immoral. Back then we campaigned for the right to … Continue reading Soapbox: National Service
Susannah Willey Writes 