Michael Shay's Hummingbirdminds

Postcard, probably early 1960s, of downtown Moses Lake, Wash. Elmer's, my father's favorite Chinese/American restaurant, is shown on...

On the morning after I watched the conclusion of “Death by Lightning" on Netflix. One of the final scenes really got to me. It’s Firs...

A big lobster walked down our street last night. He/She/It accompanied kids dressed as characters from kiddie shows I don't watch becaus...

How do I tell my grown-ass children about the life and times of JFK? How I was nine when he was elected and 13 when he was assassinated? Tha...

The Letter Wait a Minute Mr. Postman  Return to Sender  P.S. I Love You Take a Letter, Maria A Dear John Letter Just a few of the pop songs ...

Again. Make America Great Again I’ve been exploring this phrase as it has taken over conversations, rallies, bots, blather, mind games, ...

Part 2 of Word Back: America I explore word choice in "Make America Great Again." What was America like in my youth? Was it all fu...

I began to write this Word Back column as Memorial Day weekend began. I was making fun of what America has become in 2025 but forgot about w...

Artwork courtesy Dean Petersen My friend Dean Petersen in Wyoming is a talented writer and filmmaker. He once joined us at Jeana's Dinin...

Daytona Bike Week goes for ten days each March. It’s an extravaganza for motorcycle buffs from all over North America and even all over the ...

What makes a 49-year-old artist abandon his paints and go to war? That’s the question I pondered when visiting the Ormond Memorial Art Mus...

A friend once asked me to name my favorite writers. It's a long, long list, but I gave him the top five: Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, G...

The most beautiful song about missing snow at Christmas is one written by Steve Goodman and performed by Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. The song’s ...

Jerry Lewis played a hospital orderly in “The Disorderly Orderly.” In it, he’s a bumbling idiot with a heart of gold, a type he’s played bef...

You will forget things. As you age, that’s the mantra you hear from people who think they know better. Nobody tells you this: you forget how...

Denver When you’re gone you’re gone. That first house you bought on South Grant Street, some kids you don’t know slide down the driveway o...

The cover of Jane Campbell's story collection, "Cat Brushing," shows a ringed hand sweeping across the fur of what must be a v...

The April 9 New York Times op-ed section featured a piece with this heading: " 'Death Cleaning': A Reckoning With Clutter, Gri...

In the film "The Day the Earth Stood Still," versions one and two, an intergalactic diplomat comes to earth, tells humans they are...

One of my favorite loop tours for visitors is Cheyenne to Saratoga via the Snow Range. And then back again. For me, this 300-mile round-trip...