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Category: Inspirational

My Rifle For A Rose

1-22 INF/1st BDE/10th MTN DIV (LI), Ft Drum, N.Y. 1988: Fort Drum was still under construction. The 10th Mountain Division(LI) remained a long way from full strength.  My unit, 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry, was billeted in old wooden WWII barracks on what would become “Old Post.”       We were...
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The Fisherman’s Guide To Happiness

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Chapter One: Select Early Works Of RJ Monroe Chapter Two: Cape Cod Capers Chapter Three: Florida Fish Tales Chapter Four: Dominican Debacle Chapter Five: Buc – A- Roo RJ ********** CHAPTER ONE: Select Early Works Of RJ Monroe “Highly Sophisticated” ****** Two Happy Fishermen “RJ &...
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My Elegant Friend

*This story appeared as “An ‘Adirondack Outlaw’ at Cornell in the Adirondack Almanack’s April 18, 2021 on-line edition. ********** My Elegant Friend        I wrote the poem “Sweet Adrienne” sometime in early 1982, during the spring semester of my freshman year at Cornell.  Just before getting called into the...
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Ghost Lake Rising

I first drafted the poem “Ghost Lake” while working out of Lake Colden’s Interior Headquarters cabin as a DEC trail hand in the summer of ’83, haunted by memories from earlier trips into Colden with my dad.    On those shared journeys, in the late ’70’s, Dad still had...
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NOT QUITE BULLETPROOF

One Man’s Cancer Survival Story ********** To My Wife, Children, Family & Friends  Who’ve Lived & Fought Alongside Me  Every Day We’ve Been In ************ AUTHOR’S NOTE: “I’m Sorry- It’s Cancer.”      Those are words no one ever wants to hear.   I know.   I’ve heard them three...
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OUTLAW 20/20

“Welcoming In The New Year” “Stayin’ Warm by The Stove”      Well, here we are!  Another decade behind us- it’s  ours now.  We own it.  2020 before us- who knows what lies on the trail ahead!      This decade certainly ended with a few nice surprises.      My wife...
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Outlaw Gnomes

Early last fall, when Robin & I were first planning our Christmas gift shopping list, we asked my Mom, who lives with us now, and has everything; “Mom-What do you want for Christmas?” Mom’s answer? “A really neat Garden Gnome.” Which made perfect sense. Mom has always been a...
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Enterprising Lads

Author’s Note: This story was published in The Adirondack Almanack’s December 21, 2021 online edition. **********      We  moved to Saranac Lake from Lake Placid in the summer of ’73.  I had just finished 4th grade.               My brother Ray (“Raymond” then) & I explored the river, rode bikes,...
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Blown Up & Stuffed

Author’s Note: A little over a year after debuting as my blog’s all time most viewed post, this story was published in The Adirondack Almanack’s November 26, 2021 online edition. ********** “Saranac Lake Redskins” “This Here Is Monk” Saranac Lake High School. Varsity practice field – July, 1978:      ...
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Roast Grinch

“A year Round Treat” ********** “Outlaw Santa & His Posse” “Just Bagged Some Grinches”      So you’ve been doing some hunting – managed to bag a few Grinches!  Congratulations!  So….Now What??      Well, I wanted to take a moment and offer some suggestions and an easy original Grinch recipe...
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