Writing
Taylor Swift is “New Money”
The headlines state that Taylor Swift gave $100,000 to the family of a shooting victim at the KC Chiefs Super Bowl Parade. The media reports she is worth around one billion dollars. The media (Forbes) also reports the Hunt family, owners of the Chiefs, are worth around twenty-five (25) billion dollars. There is no report […]
19Feb2024 | Gary Clark | 0 comments | Continued
A Sketch or Memorandom of Old Mr Thomas Capps
Just a small microcosm of my paternal family history. Only wish it was also audio.
15Apr2022 | Nancy Belle | 8 comments | Continued
Lost Family
I have an Aunt (I never met her) Grandpa Clark’s oldest daughter Mary Elizabeth Clark b. November 3, 1904 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. I haven’t found records that state when she began working for American Reduction Company in Pittsburgh, but I do know she worked there because her occupation and place of work are on […]
12Aug2020 | Nancy Belle | 2 comments | Continued
Fifty Years Ago July 20, 1969
July 20 1969… I was not yet 21 years old, married, to my Husband David who was not yet 23, with a Son Thomas who was 9 months old. We lived in North St. Louis County, Normandy, MO in a rented house ($100 monthly rent) we shared with my Father in Law Thomas, 61 years […]
20Jul2019 | Nancy Belle | 2 comments | Continued
Formal vs Self Education
Not many days ago… I was engaged in political debate with a person, who was quick to point out their higher learning and acquisition of a Bachelors and Masters, in something or other fields. I’m next to sure this was done to show their opinion was better formed and backed up because of same. I […]
27Jan2019 | Nancy Belle | 5 comments | Continued
There you are Spot!!
Just saw this image of a beautiful pup on Facebook today and thought “There you are Spot!! and was immediately taken back to 58 years ago. I was between 11 and twelve when Spot came into my life for a short little while. The sweetest and neatest little black and white dog, ever! My step […]
23May2018 | Nancy Belle | 3 comments | Continued
Not The Good Guy
This chain of essays about behavioral health and mental health is exhausting. Am I talking in circles? Are there any conclusions? The best we can say, based only on these essays, is that we are governed by both nature and nurture. About fifteen years ago I began an intense journey seeking sanity and serenity. A […]
16Feb2018 | Thomas Franklin | 28 comments | Continued
Seaside Beginning
Seaside Beginning– By Steven Michael I see you on the windowsill, looking onward to the sky. You stare into the brightest days with ember eyes; Wishing upon movement. I remember how you looked at me, daydreaming of yesterday’s forever. Like chalk butterflies, like seaside goodbyes, How they crashed into our lives like […]
9Feb2018 | Steven Michael | 2 comments | Continued
When We Are Filled With Hate And Fear
What are the common denominators with people who are filled with hate and fear? What are the symptoms? What are their political views? What is wrong with them??? They were abused as children. That is the one common feature of the hateful and fearful. Their parents tried to beat them into respectful adults. Or the […]
27Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Feelings! Legitimate Or Not
In cognitive behavioral treatment we learn to think, then feel, then act. Some folks get into trouble when they feel, act, then think. My personal notion is that we always think first; the question is why do we think such negative thoughts that result in hurt feelings and thus bad behavior? I did four years […]
15Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 2 comments | Continued
Life Lessons, Set In Concrete
The ‘twoness’ of humanity is all around us. The good and the bad, the yin and the yang, the frailty of human character. My father, as I have said before, was both a great man and a monstrous brute. I do not know if his greatness won the final battle – but I suspect it […]
13Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Twoness, The Paradox of Parenthood
I am a young Senior citizen. As such one might deduce that my parents were part of “the greatest generation”. That would be correct. My parents grew up during the depression. My father fought in World War Two. Have I mentioned that there were seven children in my family? My mother stayed home to raise […]
7Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 0 comments | Continued
No Yellow Ribbons Here
What are some words used to describe me? Intense, forceful, resolute, aggressive, difficult, stubborn, unyielding, Aries – You get the idea – My history is one of confrontation and unforgiving in-your-face anger. There are regular videos on facebook of soldiers returning home unannounced to reunite with their families. The families choke up and well with […]
5Dec2017 | Thomas Franklin | 1 comment | Continued
Thomas Franklin, New Fireside Contributor
Thomas Franklin and I became friends in 2006. He was an inpatient at a Substance Abuse Treatment Center where I served as a counselor. That program was a 21 day residential care. There was a stipend program at the Center. This allowed up to two clients to remain residents, receive free food, and free intensive […]
2Dec2017 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | Continued
Equality Is Not Tangible
I am all for equality between the sexes. Always have been, I guess. As a Baby Boomer, I have seen a whole lot of it not being that way. Equality is easily defined on paper and somehow in life it gets spread out, the lines get blurred and more difficult to find the easy divisions […]
16Nov2017 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
Kansas City City Market, Beignet, and Moody Football Fans
We invested a day at the Kansas City City Market. Today, in fact. A Sunday and the Chiefs are playing – but we have a DVR and are recording the game. We are at the market to meet family and are hoping that we do not inadvertently hear the score of the game. We did […]
17Sep2017 | Gary Clark | 0 comments | Continued
Chief’s Football Analysis by PEG
Well….I must comment on the KC Chiefs victory last night. Those of you who know me well….after being a lifetime fan, who remembers watching the Chiefs Win the Super Bowl in 1970, know the Chiefs lost my unconditional love after they lost 1998 AFC Divisional Home Game (13-3, home field advantage, 1st round bye) to […]
10Sep2017 | Ohg Rea Tone | 0 comments | Continued
A 1964 Christmas Story
It was 1964. Life hadn’t been great. This particular year had been mostly a nightmare. My Mother and Stepfather had separated. Finances were next to non-existent. Me being able to attend school became a burden for my Mother. At only fifteen, I was resigned to possibly, never finishing high school. I was the oldest of, […]
12Dec2016 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
New Fireside Post Format
Well, here we are, almost ten years into the grand experiment of a father and son chat on the internet. We quickly became thefiresidepost.com and have had a couple of major upgrades since. My son, the Administrator of this magazine, got a new job, went back to school, had more children, yadda, yadda… He became […]
27Oct2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on New Fireside Post Format | Continued
Oh Lord Won’t You Give Me?
I loved and love Janis Joplin. I like the song she sang, Mercedes Benz, because it reminds me of a Church I attended with a friend when I was about 16. It was located in South St. Joseph. There was a neon sign outside proclaiming PENTECOSTAL SOMETHING OR OTHER CHURCH. A bright white two story […]
31Jul2016 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
Refried Beans In My Chili
OK – right up front, I am an anomaly. Just about every group of people that I run across eventually figures this out. This reality struck me yesterday when I was thinking about supper. Bored and not willing to invest the time in some cuisine of taste and health I rummaged around in my pantry, […]
22Jun2016 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
White Suits
Mark Twain enters my mind, Takes a seat, and I become his front porch. For a man with such great potential Of explosive wit and verbiage– He says nothing as he strikes A match… …And lights a fine Cuban cigar. The sun is shining brightly so That the white suit he so […]
21Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 1 comment | Continued
My Practicality
My practicality is a pesky little imp. Like a gremlin sabotaging my Creativity. My creativity rests in the bosom Of Mystery; And this fair lady–she always beckons. She pleads with me to embrace her, Ungrip the secure and chase her. And I start to run– But I find myself tethered. […]
9Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 3 comments | Continued
Once Upon a Time in St. Joe
Once Upon a Time in St. Joe The dross falls away and she stands revealed. I have been talking at length with a dream. The coal train moves on; her rails course the fields. The nights fall, the conversations appeal, We meet for coffee, she takes hers with cream. The dross falls away and she […]
5Jun2016 | Josh Clark | 4 comments | Continued
Josh Has Joined thefiresidepost.com
Josh was once a good boy. He lost his way. We find him today hanging out with the outlaw of his family – Ohg Tone. Seriously, Josh is my nephew, and a fine writer. I have watched him over the years, watched him grow in to a young man, watched him explore religion, watched him […]
31May2016 | Gary Clark | 2 comments | Continued
Karma and Life Lessons
Shorthand, I know what it is, but can’t read it. Many years ago at Lowy Enterprises. I received a promotion to work with Dave in Accounts Receivable. At high school I refused typing and shorthand because I didn’t plan on being any man’s secretary, Hah. So, one of my new jobs was to take dictation […]
5Apr2016 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
Jelly and Rocket Science
Someone I love has a favorite expression, “it’s not rocket science”, he will say this when someone is having difficulty understanding his direction. Last Summer I attempted to make Elderberry Jelly. It had been nearly two decades since the last time I made this loved delicacy. Nearly every where I have lived as an adult, […]
19Dec2015 | Nancy Belle | 0 comments | Continued
Does Race Really Matter?
Transcript from Walla Walla Union Bulletin, Walla Walla, Washington December 20, 1950 Seattle (AP) – A blow on the head with a baseball bat in a neighborhood altercation was fatal Tuesday to Merritt Scotten, 33 year old Seattle pipe fitter. He died of a skull fracture Saturday night. Leon W. Venson 28 a neighbor has […]
25Nov2015 | Nancy Belle | 1 comment | Continued
Sexting, The Secret Codes of Youth
I am right up front on this one. I had no idea. But this should come as no great surprise to anyone. Perhaps a degree of initial shock – but after some brief contemplation – not surprising. R U getting this? The coded language of texting and internet chatting had to contain sexual references. Sex […]
9Dec2014 | Gary Clark | Comments Off on Sexting, The Secret Codes of Youth | Continued
Corresponding With an Inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections
Geez – corresponding with an inmate in the Missouri Department of Corrections can be very rewarding – and very frustrating. I am learning the rules as we go. My friend Joey is serving time for his fourth DWI. I do not dispute the sentence – DWI is a serious offense. Driving while intoxicated is responsible […]
1May2013 | Gary Clark | 1 comment | ContinuedBearing the Sword of Justice
I am Aries, born under Mars. I swing a heavy sword, the heavy sword of justice. The sword strikes at ignorance, at injustice, at human frailty. A child is threatened. Captured by the rogue of the closed mind. The child, once destined for greatness, becomes the rogue. Small town America, a bastion of self righteous […]
17Jan2013 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Bearing the Sword of Justice | Continued
Youth Violence – Not Just Fight or Flight
Mark Twain used youth violence as a humorous anecdote necessary to the maturing process of young boys. In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer two boys (one is Tom) confront each other on the street; they taunt, tease, dare, and then scuffle. Tom is victorious when the other boy cries ’nuff!’ Not one sociologist at the time raised a stink about Twain’s portrayal of youth violence.
22Aug2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Writing as a tool of personal development
My son and I began this magazine almost three years past. I have personally written over eleven hundred (1,100) posts. That is more than one a day. Why would anyone do such a goofy thing? I write because I am compelled to write. Every thought that crosses my mind must be written – and examined. […]
22May2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Writing as a tool of personal development | Continued
Uniform Design Contest For Huffington Post Police Badges
Arianna Huffington has established a secret police force to monitor and control reader comments. Additionally the Huffington Post will now monitor, for free, reader social networking sites. Three different levels of ‘badges’ of authority can be earned by following Huffinton’s guidelines. The Fireside Post is volunteering to assist with the design of Huffington Police Uniforms. […]
30Apr2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Uniform Design Contest For Huffington Post Police Badges | Continued
Redneck Ingenuity – or Schizophrenic Engineering?
I know rednecks. I should. I am one generation removed from hillbillies. Around these parts people who are one generation removed must go through the redneck phase – and sometimes that phase lasts a couple of generations. I am known as a half-breed because I obtained a formal university education. Even my redneck friends will […]
5Feb2010 | Ohg Rea Tone | 3 comments | Continued
Polite Manners With Name Prefixes
How do you address others? How are we supposed to address others? The internet serves to mix cultures and polite manners. My internet friend in San Francisco calls me Mr. Tone. I call her Ann – thinking by so doing I would subtly give her permission to call me Ohg. She figured me out and […]
12Jun2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 1 comment | Continued
The Sentence – confusing a simple thought
The sentence is the most simple form of expressing a thought. The sentence must have a subject and a predicate – well, not exactly. The subject and predicate can be explicit, or simply understood. We are assuming of course that one wants to express a complete thought. But a sentence may also have an object, may have modifiers, may have connectives, and may have independent elements. So what is so hard about that? Please feel free to help with this understanding.
17Feb2009 | Ohg Rea Tone | 2 comments | Continued
Rovians From The Planet Bushanus
They are finally being arrested, secured, immobilized. They come from the planet Bushanus and are called Rovians. Rovians live in the bowels of humanity, infecting civilized people with flu like symptoms. We wander through the news cycle, feeling nauseated, faint-hearted, and dismayed. Some suffer lethal effects, others are carriers. They came to this planet about […]
5Oct2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Rovians From The Planet Bushanus | Continued
Bush Sends FEMA to Wall Street
thousand mobile homes are being resurrected from the old cotton fields down home. Bush has ordered the National Guard to fill 85,000,000 sand bags. Proclaiming on National Television Bush declares, “Everybody do something, it it doesn’t work we can surge later.”
25Sep2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on Bush Sends FEMA to Wall Street | Continued
The War Prayer, by Mark Twain
Mark Twain says it best. Once again it took an artist to capture the staggering essence of events that many Americans have become immune to. This particular writing is in response to the Spanish-American war with the Philippines in 1898. Mark Twain became an anti-imperialist. Born Samuel Clemens in Hannibal, Missouri, he was an honest […]
28Aug2008 | Ohg Rea Tone | Comments Off on The War Prayer, by Mark Twain | Continued
Procrastination Posting
Timing is everything in blogging. Well, not everything. Content is a key element, but secondary to timing. It is important, though… content… but you have to wait for the right content to come along, or it just isn’t worth the effort. I never post anything early in the morning. It comes off as too zealous. […]
12May2008 | bryan | 2 comments | Continued