Dave’s Diaries: Life, writing and more

  • A pandemic diary: My new short story

    A pandemic diary: My new short story

    September 1, 2020 While this blog keeps me busy and helps me cope with the pandemic, I also write fiction. I recently turned out a story called “High Tide,” which is about the virus, beaches, life, and most of all, love. It’s just been published by the Dead Mule School of Southern Literature. Click on… Read more

  • A pandemic diary: Change and perseverance

    A pandemic diary: Change and perseverance

    August 27, 2020 I was sitting in traffic the other day when a dragonfly dropped out of the sky right in front of the windshield. It hovered like a Blackhawk, wings beating impossibly fast, before zipping away out of sight; their average speed is about ten miles an hour but they can get up to… Read more

  • A pandemic diary: Dog doldrums

    A pandemic diary: Dog doldrums

    August 21, 2020 These are unquestionably the dog days of August. Not because people are rushing to find pups for companionship, often acting on impulses that both humans and pooches will regret. (Hint: Be sure you’re not dealing with a puppy mill, and if you don’t like early-morning walks, you’d best forget the whole thing).… Read more

  • A pandemic diary: Blue’s gone

    A pandemic diary: Blue’s gone

    August 13, 2020 One Saturday in 1972 I walked out of the dorm where I’d lived for a couple of weeks, joining some new friends and what seemed like the whole town on the way to my first college football game. It was a clear, bright September day, nippy enough for a jacket, but even… Read more

  • A pandemic diary: Watching and waiting

    August 7, 2020 As you might know, Michelle Obama has said she’s dealing with low-level depression over the pandemic, racial strife, and the Trump administration. She’s far from alone: more than a third of us are believed to be suffering from mental distress, but numbers are abstract, impersonal. It’s different when it’s you and me.… Read more

  • A pandemic diary: Now it’s personal

    A pandemic diary: Now it’s personal

    August 4, 2020 In less than 24 hours last week I learned that two friends have the virus, one in a hospital, the other recovering at home. I worry about these good people and can’t do much for them except hope. I knew it was only a matter of time before the monster struck inside… Read more