In John Hassler’s “Days Like Smoke,” we first read about a birthday party for Jonnie Read, who was the narrator’s “first friend” (p. 13). Many memories Hassler has tell us a lot about his boyhood. I think we could all write a book about our early years. He remembers his “first ...

Bill Curwick was born in 1950, the eldest of Winifred and James Curwick’s five children. His free-spirited character did not always serve him well in Marshall’s schools. Bill’s began school at East Side Elementary. He laughed as he described his early experiences. “I was in trouble ...

In the Fall of 2024, some households were notified that there either may be, or are, lead water pipes supplying water to their homes. The notification is appreciated. The problem is supposed to be fixed in the Spring of 2025. Whether you received a notice or not, understanding the danger that ...

Oh, it feels so good! As one who enjoys the changing of the seasons, it’s comforting to know that the four seasons will continue their atmospheric rhythms. From January through December, we experience cold, chilly, warm, hot, cool and back to cold temperatures. There’s comfort in ...

The third tangle of brush to grab and remove the old camo stocking cap from my head was the final sign I needed to abandon all hope in the depths of the shadowy valley, concede my exploratory foray along the unwadeable and barely walkable shores of the small creek, and give up the idea that the ...

Easter is a strange holiday in that it’s constantly moving around on the calendar like a hyperactive mouse who has just consumed its body weight in caffeine. If you were born on the Fourth of July, you would know that your birthday always falls on the fourth. Its day of the week varies from ...