Bipolar poltergeist — The first time I was sent to a sanitorium, I was just 23, newly married to the love of my life, Eliza. Eliza found me walking behind our rental house, naked from the knees up, wearing the black rubber boots I’d bought at a rummage sale. I’d cut my wrist…

Some people — you just can’t make them happy I make my living selling on eBay. Yes, I write here on Medium and I get a monthly payout but the $4.63/month doesn’t really pay my bills. I’ve been making a living on eBay for over 23 years which means I’ve…

From the bayou to the river and beyond — The walk from Breaux Bridge to the place where Bayou Teche runs itself into the Atchafalaya River is over 100 miles if you don’t take shortcuts over land. Following the curves and turns as the snakelike bayou takes its sweet time may not be expedient but it will always repay…

Amora’s red lantern Quicksand walked for days on dirt roads through high points in the swamp, trying to get to Big Momma. He kept sight of the bayou when he could, just like she’d taught him. Big Momma was Amora to everyone else who knew her. Everyone who knew her…

My zen attitude is off the charts, y’all — I admit; I’m not exactly traditional. But there are things, traditional things, that I love and have embraced in my 66 years. Christmas is probably at the top of that list. It would be hard to narrow down the top ten things I appreciate about Christmas or my most beloved…

A Christmas story — About a month ago I saw a Gallinule floating on the edge of the marsh. Depending on the tide the water can be brackish and I know that Gallinules prefer freshwater. I got the binoculars from the top shelf of the closet I designated as Win’s when I moved here…

He wore a red bandana… — H.G. was probably too old to play gunslinger the summer he turned 13. Two weeks prior to his birthday nobody would have looked twice to see him with a red bandana knotted around his neck, six-shooter drawn, staring down his best friend Jimmy Stillson. Now that he was 13, Mrs…

and the magic of running aground… — Pinchy Waller sat in the emergency room, only half as worried about her toe as she was about Darwin being mad at her. He sat next to her, working the Patient Information Form he’d been given to sign into a tight twist. “Dammit, Pinchy, we’re gonna miss our trip out…