It was the later part of July and we four were hiking at Little Wilson Falls near Moosehead Lake in Piscataquis County, Maine, the least populated county in the state of Maine. We were on a woodland path, part of the Adirondack Trail with a stream that cascaded into a series of small waterfalls andContinue reading “The laugh of the deeply insane”
Author Archives: Richard Halpern
Digestion digressions
“Welcome to the place where shit happens” . That was the sign above the urinal at the restaurant washroom I stopped into one evening just prior to ordering a meal. Digestion was on my mind as I had just had a colonoscopy a week prior. It was my first colonoscopy in a decade and itContinue reading “Digestion digressions”
Maya, Mixie, Martha, Daisy & Shayna
It was just the four of us living together in my family of origin. I wish I had another sibling but most all of our cousins, aunts and uncles, only had two children as well. No living things on four legs joined us in the den or welcomed us home after school or work. NoContinue reading “Maya, Mixie, Martha, Daisy & Shayna”
Fun at last
“And we’ll have fun, fun, fun until daddy takes the pickle ball away! …. (again), and we’ll have fun, fun, fun, fun … until daddy takes the pickle ball away!!!!” … I know I’m showing my age by referencing Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys, but it’s just that it’s springtime in New England andContinue reading “Fun at last”
Getting my head examined
“You’re crazy … you should really get your head examined!” How many times have I heard that in my life? More times than I would like to admit. I suppose I’ve said some zany and unexpected things over the years, causing someone to criticize or complain about me. Not crazy, “cool” like some enviable hipContinue reading “Getting my head examined”
Trauma begets trauma
We’re watching Hell on earth on our screens play out every day from Lviv, Mariupol and Dnipro, cities and town in Ukraine. I had never heard of any of these cities until February 24 when the Russians invaded … causing unimaginable brutality and pain perpetrated on the innocents. Imagine civilians like you and me beingContinue reading “Trauma begets trauma”
Something anyone can do
Even before I turned seventy I was thinking about how to live my best life, whether I might live a long, fruitful life, and whether I had any control over the matter. It was with these concerns that I picked up the book The Art of Aging by Dr. Sherwin Nulland, author of an earlierContinue reading “Something anyone can do”
The Top 10 List
The war in Ukraine with all its pain and suffering and unnecessary death and destruction has been my concern over the past month. Interest and concentration necessary to write about my little life has not been of interest. So instead of doing that I’m providing a filler for off the hook this time: April 2022Continue reading “The Top 10 List”
off the hook 