Stories,photos

131 results total, viewing 11 - 20

We got down to our wee place in Middlebridge, in South Kingstown, a bit late this season, but I am making the most of these weeks before Labor Day. I seek out my neighborhood cohorts of summers … more

Mike Fink | 9/1/23

Be gentle in all your gardens

I have a winter garden here in Providence, plus a summer garden in, aptly, South County. What does that mean, “have”? Oh, I pay taxes on each property, and I have the yards, front … more

Mike Fink | 8/4/23

The many prospects of July, from patriotism to rebirth

Independence Day , birth of the nation, the republic, the democracy? A holiday with fireworks in the firmament and flags waving from poles proclaiming patriotism. If I were teaching a … more

Mike Fink | 7/7/23

My scissors memorialize a moment in time

No, not the brush or charcoal, nor the chisel and even no camera! I just use that ancient invention, the scissors. I may cut out one square from the funnies, or I trim an old photo snapshot to focus … more

Mike Fink | 6/1/23

Two May holidays that are near and dear to my heart

I had two uncles who fought for the four freedoms, and I think about them on Memorial Day. One of them, the younger, was wounded in the Battle of the Bulge and came home on crutches. The other, … more

Mike Fink | 5/4/23

A modern-day Pesach story

She used to greet me along the shore between the former Canonchet beach and the Dunes, where the ocean meets the river known as the Narrow, perhaps short for Narragansett. Of late, she sends me … more

Mike Fink | 4/2/23

Joyous Purim is entertaining … and more

In French, this month is spelled like the war divinity: “Mars.” In ancient, classical Greece, Athena is the goddess of wisdom ... and war! Now, Mordecai, the hero of … more

Mike Fink | 3/3/23

The treasures of my home, cellar to attic

We Rhode Islanders revere the reverie of piracy. The dream of adventure and romance on the high seas, with a focus on the concept of buried treasure chests just beneath the sandbars at our … more

Mike Fink | 2/3/23

The many splendors of trees

This toast to timber has multiple meanings, which I will list here. Our Arbor Day is one, of course. A symbol of ecology as well as Zionism. But for me, it was all about the poems by American artists … more

Mike Fink | 1/5/23

Past meets present in our holidays

Once upon a time, was there in fact a cactus that caught fire by itself? I read that once: a spontaneous flaming shrub gave birth to the Torah tale of the divine voice speaking to Moses from the … more

Mike Fink | 12/2/22