Every afternoon between 4 and 5 P.M. my dog, Silver, and I sit in the shade in the front yard of our apartment building. We breathe fresh air, relax, and de-stress from the day’s activities.

Silver lays in the grass and I sit on a little retaining wall. In between watching the cars drive by and saying Hello to neighbors out for an afternoon stroll my mind always wanders. I look at the mountains in the distance, watch the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, or just enjoy the clouds drifting by. …

Out of habit and without thinking twice about it, I picked up the phone to call my Mum today. I stopped mid-dial with a reflective pause, then hung up.

She passed away almost twenty years ago.

My Mum was always my go-to person. Whenever I needed to talk, she was there. She was someone to laugh with, a shoulder to cry on, and someone that never failed to speak her mind and give me good advice and guidance — whether I wanted it or not. But many times, she was just a loving mother that would simply listen.

Lately, I…

Like most normal people I have a nightly routine. Around 9 PM I take my dog, Silver, an 11 year old, 111 lb. Silver Labrador Retriever for her last walk of the day. Then I get ready for bed, wash my face, brush my teeth, do all the things that need to be done, and crawl under the covers by 10 PM. I usually scroll for about an hour, then read for another, and finally turn the light off by midnight.

Last night was no different, except I was unusually tired. I scrolled, and I remember picking up my book…

Chapter 1 — Picking up a Babe in Sin City — A Totally True Tale

My Mum lives in Las Vegas. Picture this… Retired old lady, cruising around the casinos on her little electric scooter, oxygen tank hanging off the back, cigarette hanging out of her mouth, and one arm bigger than the other because she arm-wrestles one-armed bandits all day — you know the type.

Well, that’s not her.

My Mum is a petite, little old lady, high moral standards, always prim and proper, would be leading the Temperance Movement if there were one, and always wears her Sunday’s…

Over the past couple of days on Social Media I’ve been ganged-up on and called a misogynist, a racist, and a sexist because I did not, and do not, support Senator Kamala Harris in her bid for Vice President of the United States of America.

I do not like the criminal prosecution record she had when she was the district attorney of San Francisco. I do not like her liberal ideology, I do not like that she wants to raise taxes and take away our 2nd amendment rights. The list can go on, but to sum it up, I just…

My dad came to visit me last night. But it’s probably not what you think.

I live in Burbank, California — almost thirty years now. My dad lives 3000 miles away in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. He’s been there for almost all of his eighty-eight years. He’s a great guy. Loving. Caring. Good sense of humor, and always leaves people with a smile. But he’s also the kind of dad that will seldom call, much less come for a visit.

So, I was quite surprised last night when he did.

It was a normal night. In bed by ten. Read…