Put up an article a week, every Sunday.

We will all be there for it.

Pet projects need to be leash trained.

Best wishes/ Gramps.

But I can say it has been worth it to me – which is easy to say as I just consumed you produced. I also think it made a difference for the Republic by providing – at least to this small segment who call themselves regulars – a chance to reflect and vent on why we love this country and honor those like you who have served her well. That ain’t nothin.

Whatever you decide I hope to meet you someday for real. Hopefully it will involve flight in an airpolane with a tailwheel in an attitude no aligned with the horizon.

The story starts when she was about 13 and a horse jumped on her causing a double compound fracture. It took a day to pack her out of the rural area she was in just to meet the ambulance by the road. From there she had a couple of surgeries and was given a lot of pain meds. Addiction dots my family tree in a few places and add in some self esteem issues and you get the picture. Once marijuana and the rest of it came along she, unlike me, had no fear of it. In the end it was a car accident that did her in. No one else was seriously hurt except her enabler. She just made poor decisions.

I have about 4 or 5 cousins and uncles that have survived addiction. They also tried to intervene as best they could. A lot of support and a lot of love go a long, long way to helping them get better. I certainly suggest breaking up the peer group as well as getting them involved in things. I notice that a lot of addicts that quit the addictions that nearly kill them tend to adopt new ones. Sometimes its smoking. Sometimes its exercising. They tend to be extreme about things. Another observation is that they use to escape. Whatever age they started using it is probably a reflection of what their age actually is. They might be 20 by age but only 15 by maturity because they checked out. They lack maturity and the ability to cope in the most basic situations but over time it gets better.

I wish you the best of luck.

For me the Sea Stories, particularly Rhythms hooked me. I agree the politics of it all are depressing but I still find myself amused by your angle on some of the stories as well as the stuff that comes out in the comments. I’ll miss the site for sure if you go in a different direction. Or maybe I will not.

As for the addiction I wish you the best. The disease claimed my sister, the youngest, at a tender age. Dont be too hard on yourself over your parenthood. Some kids just make dangerous choices and no matter how much we parents try to help its not good enough. Lord knows my parents tried to help her.