Kith & Kin

Photo of the actual Snake in the actual trash can moments before his untimely demise. A (mostly) nonfiction work written in script format by Steve Skaggs DISCLAIMER: This really happened, and, yes, we really did kill the snake. I know there was truly no reason to do so. We could have done something far more kind, such as releasing it into a nearby field or putting it into a neighbor’s mailbox. (Yes, “neighbor,” you know who you are!) But we were panicked. We were not thinking clearly. And, besides, if that snake didn’t want to end up dead, he should have stayed outside where he belonged! CAST (in order of appearance)      Cindy : The mother. She don’t do snakes.      Dad : Heroic leader of the family. Unflappable.      Jason : Sharp-eyed teenage son of Cindy and Dad. Laconic.      Black Snake : Out of his element and doomed from the start.      Caleb : Teenage son armed with shovel. Stoical. OPENING SCENE...

Merry Christmas from my mom. . . . the nut. I haven’t been doing this blog very long, but I knew when I began it that the time would come when I needed to write memories about my mom, and I knew that could be emotionally draining for me. Nobody had a more profound effect on my life than Mom did, with her wonderful qualities and even her faults. I know God is in control of everything, but I can’t help feeling cheated that she went as suddenly as she did. On the other hand, Dad suffered for weeks and months before he passed, and I wouldn’t have wanted her to go through that either. On this date, Thursday, December 1, 2022, Mom would have been eighty-five years old , having been born in 1937. She was godly and wise. She was stubborn. She was a good listener. She had a temper. She was a faithful friend. She could be blunt. And she was unquestionably . . . a nut. She had a wonderful sense of humor, something any mother of four sons needs in abundant supply. So to avoid growing ...