David Klein's Blog, page 44

Even the Mentally Toughest Go Down

I settled in yesterday afternoon to watch the men’s tennis final of the U.S. Open, 34-year-old Novak Djokovic from Serbia vs. 25-year-old Daniil Medvedev of Russia. It was going to be a historic day in tennis. Djokovic was on the cusp of completing the first grand slam in more than 50 years—winning all four of […]

The post Even the Mentally Toughest Go Down appeared first on by David Klein.

Little Free Library, Version 2

Six years ago I launched my first Little Free Library. I was one of the first free libraries in town. Since then, these libraries have been sprouting up all over the place. There must be at least a dozen, maybe fifteen, just in Delmar. It’s hard to keep track of all the competition. So I’ve […]

The post Little Free Library, Version 2 appeared first on by David Klein.

EVERYMAN, Philip Roth

Philip Roth, toward the end of his writing career (and life; he battled many health problems), wrote a number of short novels. Everyman, which focuses on aging, sickness, regret, and death, is one of the grimmest. The novel opens at the protagonist’s funeral, then cycles back and tells the story of his life: he gave […]

The post EVERYMAN, Philip Roth appeared first on by David Klein.

Calm Evening on Lake Erie

I am calm too

The post Calm Evening on Lake Erie appeared first on by David Klein.

Water Investigator Reported Missing

The aqueducts originate in three locations: Duluth, on Lake Superior; Milwaukee, on Lake Michigan; and Sandusky, on Lake Erie. Each system of pipelines, tunnels, and open-air channels transfers water east to west. The  Duluth pipeline feeds the Sacramento River, the Milwaukee line empties into the Colorado River, and the Sandusky sector ends at the Rio […]

The post Water Investigator Reported Missing appeared first on by David Klein.

GREAT CIRCLE, Maggie Shipstead

This is one of those epic 600-page novels I don’t pick up very often and in this case, I couldn’t put it down. GREAT CIRCLE begins in dramatic fashion early in the twentieth century when Maggie and Jamie Graves, infant twins, are rescued from a sinking ocean liner by their father, the ship’s captain. The […]

The post GREAT CIRCLE, Maggie Shipstead appeared first on by David Klein.

Things Other Than Me

Every so often, not very often, I get out of my own head and observe. Not to gather information and form impressions and make assessments, and not to judge and plot and scheme, but to leave all of that behind and do nothing other than experience sunlight glitter on a stream in a way I’ve […]

The post Things Other Than Me appeared first on by David Klein.

A Surprise at the Cottage

I had begun to fear the worst: a family of raccoons had moved in. Or our cottage had become a bat house. Or mold clung like moss to the walls. There would be standing water in the basement, the foundation would be crumbling. Finally, the border to Canada opened. I made the trip up to […]

The post A Surprise at the Cottage appeared first on by David Klein.

Another Year in the Books

Today marks two years I’ve been fiddling around with this blogging thing. That’s not really an anniversary cake. I’ve co-opted Harriet’s birthday cake again. She baked it herself, but at least I made the icing and frosted the cake. Taking a couple of hours (or less or more) to write a blog post is so […]

The post Another Year in the Books appeared first on by David Klein.

Where to Draw the Line

If you’ve been reading this blog, you know Ask Dave has had some back and forth dialog with Andy about the sexual harassment allegations against him. I have not gone easy on Andy and suggested he resign, which he has done. In announcing his resignation, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “In my mind, […]

The post Where to Draw the Line appeared first on by David Klein.