Author Archives: jimmcgarrah

Somewhere between Canada and Florida in southeastern New York State a famous mountain range rises from the Hudson Valley and slopes downward into the Allegheny Plateau. How do I know what the borders are? I lived there once and the boundary of the Catskills is flexible for its residents. “When you have two rocks forContinue reading “Communism”

Someone asked me once to define the word love as I understood it, personally. She understood I had neither the wisdom nor the sensitivity to explain it as it really is. Most of us have some clichéd notion of how the word can be applied in various situations, and many of us have self-serving ideasContinue reading “The Resonance of Love”

The difference between having empathy for people and making excuses for their behavior is often blurred by our emotions to the point that the distinctions may get lost in a swamp of good intentions and drown. I have a friend, a great writer and a compassionate, kind-hearted, person. Even though those two things are notContinue reading “Seeing”

Productive writing is not constant, and it is writing well that most writers consider important, a worthwhile use of time and energy. Consequently, the term writer’s block has become a catch-all phrase thrown out to avoid sitting down in front of a keyboard or taking pen in hand because nothing we write seems worth writing.Continue reading “Writer’s Block”

A man drives from Louisville to Lexington, a distance of 68 miles over well-paved Kentucky roads, for the express purpose of gambling. This man is a short, chubby, old guy called ME who could have spent his meager funds on more worthwhile endeavors, say an evening at the Irish Rover Pub, rather than trying toContinue reading “Synthesis”

All That Jazz – No, I don’t mean the 1979 musical directed by Bob Fosse. I’m referring to some great music that takes place in two great cities every summer. So, save your money and get a passport even though you won’t be leaving the continent. During the last weekend in April through the first weekend in May, America’sContinue reading “Jazz Festivals: New Orleans and Montreal”