(Two attempts) 1. Farming, the way it is done almost everywhere in the U.S., requires tons of fertilizer every time a field is replanted. With every hard rain, quite a bit of that same fertilizer washes off, running into nearby waterways and polluting them. When the crop ripens, machines or hands harvest it, and later …
Category Archives: Marathon
Through the Eyes of a Child
What do these things have in common? Running water, electricity, tennis shoes, grocery stores, and zoos. Sounds like a strange group, right? All of these things were regarded as modern conveniences at one time. However, they are all now considered normal parts of our everyday lives. Sometimes we take things for granted. We don’t take …
Cards Night
“Like taking candy from a baby,” Mrs. Tabling said, pulling a card from my hand. That hurt. I was terrible at cards, but this old lady had been making a target of me all night, despite the game changing from gin to Go Fish to whatever we were playing now. The old lady stopped smiling …
Hey Grandma
Hi, Grandma!! So hello!! How are you? Here I am finally at school, thank you for all your help to get me here. What you did for me is fantastic and I will never forget it, I hope you know. Well, the first few weeks here have been just crazy! I have three roommates, and …
My Purpose in Life
My name is John, I have never been married and have no children but don’t feel bad for me, I am extremely happy with the paths that I have taken in my life. I have worked hard at my job and have become the head groundskeeper at a very prestigious country club and golf resort. …
Pigs
The traffic light, like most downtown lights, was taking an eternity but I stared at it feeling certain I could will it to change if I just concentrated hard enough. It refused to budge off red, and I sighed. The buildings downtown were shimmering from the heat, reflections from windows were making my eyes hurt. …
45 Seconds
When the buzzer sounded, June realized she had about 45 seconds to take action before her marriage was over. And despite being thoroughly bored, she felt too emotionally lazy to start over. Life was NOT great but it was comfortable and despite Henry, her husband, being utterly boring and always doing the same routine over …
Henry is concerned
Henry is concerned. He watches his wife of eight years head off to work and he stays at home with their son. He is concerned because the scene has happened many times in the past, only he was the one heading out. And he knows the patterns, all too well. Nothing is particularly obvious at …
Content Marathon No. 1, Memory from Childhood
I’ve now lived longer than my mother did, but still feel less experienced, stupider than she; somehow the stability of the past and the kind of structured life she lived seem better teachers than I had. I am old enough to remember 5-cent candy bars, 29-cents-a-gallon gasoline, and a doctor making a house call (I …
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Donating Blood in these Confusing Times
I came across a perplexing situation today. The company where my wife works was conducting a blood drive, and we both decided to volunteer. We both think that it is a great cause and we allowed our seven year old son to be a part. Everything was going along as I thought it should; providing …