For more than five years, I wrote a weekly opinion column for The Perry County Times and its affiliated papers in southcentral Pennsylvania. I saw this as a way to give something back to the rural community where we have a little farm called Pencil Creek, but the columns become an important part of my writing rhythm. In the world of novel-writing, where six months’ work can vanish in an instant and completion dates are reckoned in years, it’s not a bad thing to have a weekly deadline.
From time to time, when I wrote on a topic of regional or national interest, I published one of these pieces in a larger newspaper, but mostly they’re a reflection of my state of mind in any given week. Not to mention a launching-pad for my curiosity!
Here’s a complete archive of my Op-Eds. There are over 300 of them. Perhaps you’ll find one or two that agree with you…
The Power of the Press and Other Delusions
Back in May, one of the first columns I wrote for the Perry County Times was a plea to Embarq, our telephone company, to get on the ball and provide DSL service on St. Peters Church Road. For those of you who missed that column, here are a few highlights: High speed...
An Appreciation of Daniel Miller
From time to time, you’ll meet someone who looks so much like someone you already know that you’ll be disposed to like that person, even before you’ve shaken his hand. That’s how it was when I met Daniel Miller, our next door neighbor up at the...
The Story of the Scrambled Statues and a Request to Readers
This week’s column owes everything to Maud Fluchere of Newport, PA, who recently wrote me a letter in response to my pieces on Oliver Hazard Perry, the man who gave Perry county its name. Maud’s father, who was born in Newport, Rhode Island in the late 19th century,...
The Violence that Passes All Understanding
Our drive up to the Creek has lost some of its magic. It used to be that we’d start feeling a kind of lift when we passed the Turkey Hill on the Wertzville Road. The big highways, I-83 North, PA-581, and I-81 South, were behind us, as was the last traffic light...
An Angry Historian, a Missing “s,” and Other Matters
First, an apology. It has been brought to my attention that my hard-hitting story about the Perry statues in Newport, Rhode Island, caused a certain amount of confusion. Some readers thought I was talking about statues in Newport, Pennsylvania. Alas, I wasn’t. Perhaps...
The Missing “s,” or Geographic Power to the People
In my last column, I addressed a little mystery having to do with the name of Perry County’s own Sherman Creek, which somehow lost an “s” in the early part of the 20th century. The most visible evidence of this is the new sign on the bridge of PA-34 in Sherman’s Dale,...
I’d Like to Thank My Teammates, My Coach, and Especially My Nanny
Imagine it’s January. The Superbowl has just come to a spectacular conclusion. If it makes it any easier, let’s say that the Steelers have just edged the Eagles in a hard fought squeaker of a game. (Feel free to have the Eagles win, if you prefer. After...
A Jug of Wine, a Dry Basement, and Thou
This year, my wife Shana and I are giving each other gutter drainage as a fifteenth anniversary present. We did have some slightly more romantic ideas. We’d seen a gorgeous hot air balloon floating over Blue Mountain, and considered taking a ride in one....
Government’s the Problem? What a Load of Rubbish.
The trunk of our car is always overflowing when we pull up in front of our house in Baltimore. Overflowing with boxes of vegetables from our garden? Sometimes. With coolers full of delicious leftovers? Occasionally. With gallons and gallons of freshly pressed apple...
The First Step in Recovering an “s” Is Always the Hardest
I’d like to take a moment to thank all the readers who have emailed me at [email protected]. A writer’s life is solitary by nature. Hearing from readers is a real bright spot. Most of the time. In particular, I’m very grateful for the...
Happy Anniversary, Shana! (Enjoy the Hidden Sonnet.)
Let me start by saying that my wife Shana and I have now officially weathered fifteen years of marriage. Not to put too fine a point on it, but these have been the most rewarding years of my life. The marriage came after more than a decade of true friendship—we...
Two countries divided by a common language: HBO
Our British Invasion is finally over. In September, and then again this month, we hosted friends from the U.K. The September friends, a young couple who were planning a three-week cross-country road trip, were especially keen to start out in Baltimore. Baltimore? Why...
How to Outbid Yourself in Twelve Easy Steps
Here’s a lesson we’ve learned from Perry County: auctions are fun. My first auction was at Jeff Heikenfeld’s place over in Loysville. It was a Friday evening in late fall. The room was packed. The odor of roasting hot dogs mingled with the funk of...
The Place from which I Write, Dear Father, May Not Be on Your Map
I recently wrote about two sets of friends from England, and their obsession with American popular culture. Their interests ran deeper, too. They were keen to talk about health care in this country. From the British point of view, our system seems fairly barbaric. Our...
The Nuclear Power Industry’s Dirty Little Secret
In one of the great feel-good, swords-into-plowshares stories of our time, the New York Times recently reported that something like 10% of American electricity is generated by old Russian nuclear bombs. No joke. That’s more than all our hydro, solar, biomass,...