The Old Man
An Earth Tale

I had been camping in the wilderness. Hiking actually. I had never
meant to stay overnight. So there I was, sitting under a tree, resting when this
grizzly old man walked out of the woods.
Did I say grizzly? That hardly describes him. He had long white hair,
but thin like spider's silk. He had a ratty beard that must have once been
black. There were a few black hairs left in the mat. His face was tanned. Not
tanned, like from the sun. It looked like leather. He was tallish. Maybe once
six feet, but now somewhat stooped. And thin. The kind of thinness that
instills thoughts of blown away in a strong wind.

Click here for the complete story.

I live in the Chihuahua desert ...
... quite by choice.

When I first came to Las Cruces, it was to attend New Mexico State University. A kid from Maryland, I had to learn to live in the desert. It was far different from anything I had ever experienced. It took me some time to appreciate the way life thrives here ... quite different from the Chesapeake Bay or the farmlands of the Piedmont or the forests of the Appalachian Mountains I had grown up with.

Click here for the complete story