Category Archives: Stories

Living Life in H0 Gauge

Posted on October 15, 2013 by ivanbenson

I just couldn’t help myself today. I had taken my 2 1/2 year old grandson to “the train store” (although his pronunciation of that phrase sounds a bit different from what you just sounded out in your head), and while … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 1920s, 1950s, chattanooga, depiction, diminutive, electric trains, Germany, HO guage, mothballed, mystique, O guage, postwar, Southern Railway, steward, toy trains | 8 Comments

The Perfect Day

Posted on October 5, 2013 by ivanbenson

I might be wrong about this, but . . . today may have been “the perfect day.” My wife got up early (for a Saturday) and drove off with a good friend at 7:22 AM, headed for a day of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Dunkin Donuts, errands, Fall, Family, gifts, grande salted caramel frappuccino, hard work, leisure, love, mowing, perfect day, Red Bank TN, Saturday, Starbucks, tasks, The Perfect Storm, The Wonder Years | 6 Comments

When Things Collide

Posted on September 10, 2013 by ivanbenson

I have been to two memorials in the past two weeks: one for my niece, Victoria; the other for my friend, Robert, who died on the morning of Vic’s memorial. Vic was 20 years old when she died; Robert was … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged Ashland City TN, atomic particles, August 6 1945, August 9 1945, change, Collide, Hiroshima, Howie Day, Japan, Kafka, Knoxville TN, memorials, MercyMe, metamorphosis, Nagasaki, nuclear fission, The Hurt and The Healer | 10 Comments

Convergence

Posted on August 27, 2013 by ivanbenson

Jay Winik’s masterfully written book, April 1865, is both insightful and inspiring as it focuses on a single month in our nation’s history; he refers to it as “the month that saved America.” Indeed. It was not just Robert E. … Continue reading →

Posted in Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, alignment, anomaly, Appotomattox, April 15 1865, April 1865, April 9 1865, Arlington, August 24, confluence, contemplation, convergence, Jay Winik, McLean house, numbness, precursor, Robert E. Lee, rose from its ashes, The Phoenix, tornado, VA | 10 Comments

Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Posted on August 20, 2013 by ivanbenson

There’s nothing like a great story, is there? A great story can lift your spirits when you’re feeling down; it can take you on adventures that are both enthralling and enthusing; it can transport not only your mind, but also … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Fathers, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 15 years old, 1939, C.S. Lewis, communication, Cowardly Lion, Dorothy, Elton John, flying monkeys, Follow the yellow brick road, Holland Michigan, Horace Greeley, http://whitestonemp.com/film/heartless-the-story-of-the-tin-man/, Judy Garland, Keeshond, L. Frank Baum, metaphysical, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, nemesis, Peekskill New York, ruby slippers, Scarecrow, Smithsonian, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, story, The Emerald City, The Wizard of Oz, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Tin Man, Toto, Whitestone, Yellow Brick House, Yellow Brick Road | 10 Comments

Life in Bold Relief

Posted on August 17, 2013 by ivanbenson

It has been 65 days since I last made an entry on this blog. For a good while prior to that it was a weekly exercise to which I looked forward with great expectation. But in June, the press of … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 1988, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Alzheimer's, beauty, bold relief, cancer, character, death, dross, Fulghum, gravity, Life, obscurity, sobering, tragedy | 11 Comments

Night Riding (The Way Things Used to Be)

Posted on June 12, 2013 by ivanbenson

Childhood memories are almost indelible, aren’t they? I can remember lying in the floorboard of our black 1951 Plymouth, sleeping cozily on the left side of the hump that ran thru to the backseats; the hum of the engine and … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Family History, Fathers, Stories, Uncategorized, World War II | Tagged 1 Corinthians 13, 1951, 1963, air conditioning, Alseep in the Deep, Bible, box fan, chattanooga, church hymns, cottonfields back home, Drink to me only with thine eyes, Edgar Allan Poe, Ezio Pinza, Father's Day, ice plant, magical, Norden Bomb Site, Plymouth, Plymouth Fury, push button automatic, razor strop, sacred, The Raven, Tucson, Wing Tee Wee | 18 Comments

The Birds (Hitchcock Ain’t Got Nothin’ on Us)

Posted on May 14, 2013 by ivanbenson

Alfred Hitchcock was an amazing filmmaker, wasn’t he? But I find it hard to forgive him for his 1963 horror film, “The Birds.” It scarred me for life! That is said tongue in cheek, of course. At least . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Comedy, Family History, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, birds, F-22 Raptor, fear of birds, fledgling, Google, horror, marauder, Norman Rockwell, Orkin roach trap, The Birds | 8 Comments

Mother’s Day 2013

Posted on May 12, 2013 by ivanbenson

“Happy Mother’s Day!” That’s what I’d like to say to My Mother, today. But she is on a journey that has taken her away. She missed Dad’s birthday party as well as her own earlier this month, and she was … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Fathers, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged 2012, 2013, abusive, Arizona, bound, children, death, dependent, DNA, dreams, Georgia, loving, Mother's Day, neglectful, nurturing, orange tree, relationships, symbiotic, Tennessee, Texas Ranger bush, yellow roses | 6 Comments

The Cane in the Corner

Posted on May 7, 2013 by ivanbenson

There is a walking cane that sits in the corner of one of the rooms in our house; it belonged to my mother. She used it up until her back surgery and recovery last year. After that, she was confined … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging Parents, Assisted Living, Family History, Fathers, Nursing Homes, Stories, Uncategorized | Tagged back surgery, compassion, father-in-law, Fritz handle, gift, goodwill, grandmother, in-laws, inlaws, kindness, legacy, love, memories, museum, Norman Rockwell, Ohio, peace lily, physical therapy, posterity, preserve, PT, purpose, recovery, Singer sewing machine, time, walker, walking cane | 4 Comments

	ivanbenson on Unfinished Tasks
	Jonah on Unfinished Tasks
	ivanbenson on The Demon of Unrest
	GP on The Demon of Unrest
	GP on It’s A Small World After…