My eyes burn with the flame of a thousand suns,

But my heart is as cold as yesterday's ashes.

You loved me so fiercely that I burned; now, you'd only be left with those same ashes....

The prayer banners

Surrounded the prayer gong

Under the torii....

She was a cross between a Siberian Husky and a coyote, with the coyote predominating. She also had the best traits of both breeds.

Her name was "Patience." She came to live with us at just the right time. A bit like Mary Poppins in that respect.

Before she came to us, Patience had had a litter of pups which, because of the narrowness of her hips, almost killed her. She had also been shot in the ...

Haiku festivals

Always leave me wanting more

Than the space allows....

I lived in Alaska for 20 years. Most of that time was spent in Juneau, but I had also spent time in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Kodiak.

While I was living in Kodiak, I often went hiking in the back country, where bears were plentiful. These were Kodiak bears which frequently grew larger than grizzly bears. To prevent any unpleasantness, I often carried my rifle, a .350 Remington Magnum. To protect ...

"That appendix is nasty. It needs to come out."

My doctor had already prepared the operating theater. Now she was preparing me for the operation.

"Will it hurt?" I asked.

"Not by the time we get all these lovely drugs into your system," she replied.

And she was right. I didn't feel a thing, as my soul floated up to the ceiling. I looked down on the scene below. The surgeon--my doctor--stared ...

Robert Service wrote a poem, "The Cremation Of Sam McGee," in which he described "[T]he night on the marge of Lake Lebarge when I cremated Sam McGee."

"Lake Lebarge" was poetic license in order to rhyme with "marge." The actual lake was Lake Laberge, and it was located next to the Alcan Highway in the Yukon Territory, Canada. Larry and I stopped at the campground next to the lake. It was mid-Apri...

For me, writing is one part therapy and two parts wondering what I'm thinking about. Therapy, because if I didn't write I'd explode. Wondering what I'm thinking about because far too often I'm not sure unless I see it in writing.

As far as genre, I'd say first I'm a generalist in that I don't specialize in any one field and second, I'm a memoirist--if that's even a word. But of course it is! I ju...

Spring brings enchantment.

Mystery follows behind.

Where are the tulips?...

"Oh, great. She's taken too much insulin again!"

"Quick! Give her some iced tea. The one with sugar in it!"

I'd taken too much insulin and needed the sugar to keep from becoming hypoglycemic. The iced tea and a teaspoon of honey did the trick....