Retro Ramblings
Quicksand Was the Childhood Threat That Never Showed Up
Growing up in the late ’80s, quicksand felt like a real problem. Not a theoretical danger. Not a remote possibility. A real problem. TV made it seem like every wooded …
Childhood
Retro Ramblings
Coffee, Woodsmoke, and a Silver Ship in the Sky
Some mornings still smell like woodsmoke and childhood, pulling me back to slow Appalachian days when cartoons, coffee steam, and a silver ship on TV made the world feel bigger than the valley that raised me. …
Retro Ramblings
When Mulkey Mania Was Better Than March Madness
Mulkey Mania felt like watching the ultimate underdogs shock the world, a pair of pale brothers scoring a win so unlikely it made every kid who loved the losers believe that sometimes the impossible really could happen. …
Front Porch Philosophy
Waiting on Warm Weather
I always look forward to Spring, partly because I enjoy my gardening, watching some baseball, and being able to take walks on the trails around here, and partly because my …
Front Porch Philosophy
Growing Up With Rice and Milk
Cold mornings, a steaming pot of rice, and a pat of butter melting into a golden puddle are some of my earliest memories, the kind that remind me how a simple bowl of rice and milk could warm the house when the thermostat couldn’t. …
Misadventures of Mickey Lee
Mickey Lee and the Cult of Pepsi Free
Pepsi Free wasn’t just my favorite soda. It was my childhood gospel. I was a one-boy evangelist preaching from vending machines and front yards like it was the future in a bright orange can. …
Retro Ramblings
Lazer Tron Was a Saturday Afternoon Superhero
You already know this, but there was a time in my life when Saturday afternoons meant one thing and one thing only: professional wrestling. Not the polished, corporate spectacle it …
Retro Ramblings
In Defense of American Defense Action Figures
Back in the early 1980s, when the world was still lit by the glow of Saturday morning cartoons and the hum of VCRs rewinding, G.I. Joe was king. I was …
Retro Ramblings
Alf Hand Puppets From Burger King
Back in the late 1980s, when fast food promotions were practically a second currency for kids, Burger King rolled out something that wasn’t technically a kid’s meal toy, but felt …
Retro Ramblings
Merry Christmas 2025
The picture above is of my mom and dad and was taken not long after they were married. Way back then, they had no idea that I would come along, …