ClimbingSky

Why Baseball, Books, and the Grateful Dead matter

  • RE-READING: War of the Worlds

    During February, I re-read the H.G. Wells classic The War of the Worlds. In March, I will be re-reading Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River.” The latter is a story I have re-read every spring now for more than 45 years. I have come to believe that one of the many reasons I re-read books is that returning to them… Read more

  • FOOD FOR THOUGHT FRIDAY: W.B. Yeats on Imagination

    “By logic and reason we die hourly; by imagination we live”.  ~ W.B. Yeats Read more

  • My Brother Paul (1962-2026)

    On Monday, I received the call I had been preparing myself to receive for almost two years now. It was from the Santa Cruz, California, Sheriff’s Department. My brother Paul had been found dead. I am the oldest of three boys. I was born in 1960, Paul in 1962, and Jon in 1970. Paul and… Read more

  • MUSIC MONDAY: Dave Brubeck – “Take Five”

    What better way to begin a week than with this Dave Brubeck Classic! Enjoy! Read more

  • Sending Out Poems Again

    Winter is apparently in no mood to let go of its reign here in the North Country. A snowstorm on Wednesday and cold temperatures have returned to Minnesota—a temporary reminder of what we have just been through. In February, I dialed back my postings here at ClimbingSky. I began spending the time I had freed up starting the… Read more

  • FRIDAY FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Ezra Pound on Classic Literature

    [Classic Literature is} news that stays new.” ~ Ezra Pound Read more

  • A Thaw and Re-Reading

    Here in the North Country, we had a few days of 50-degree weather, but yesterday it snowed again. Those few days of warmth, though, were a foretaste of the feast to come. We are told that ICE is drawing down its numbers here in Minnesota, but reports on the ground remain unclear as to whether… Read more

  • MUSIC Monday: “In the Slow Lane”- Kenny Barron Trio

    There is something irreplaceable about the experience getting to listen to truly curated radio stations. Knowledgeable DJs are something that no algorithm is ever going to be able to replace. My local Jazz station, KBEM, has a number of very knowledgeable DJs that regularly introduce me to new tunes that broaden my musical horizons. He… Read more

  • SHORT STORY REVIEW: “Who Killed Zebedee?” by Wilkie Collins

    Wilkie Collins (1824–1889) is an English novelist best known for his two novels: The Lady in White and Moonstone. Both novels are credited with establishing the ground rules of modern Detective Stories. For aficionados of Detective Fiction, like me, both are essential reading. While Lady in White and Moonstone are very long novels, “Who Killed Zebedee?”… Read more

  • FOOD FOR THOUGHT FRIDAY: “Mr. Cub” on Spring Training

    Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again. ~ Ernie Banks Read more