Barney Smith 10/2/25 Barney Smith 10/2/25

Firewood Blocks and Writer's Block

One of my favorites though, comes from English author and humorist Terry Pratchett who said, " There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write."

Barney Smith 9/18/25 Barney Smith 9/18/25

Fall is in the Air

In the cellar we had a potato bin full of potatoes and carrots packed in leaves, along with shelves filled with jars of vegetables and preserves that my mother had canned. Getting ready for…

Barney Smith 9/11/25 Barney Smith 9/11/25

CSM Tank White, General Colin Powell, and the Bradford Tankers

Serving in leadership positions as a non-commissioned officer, Tank White led the way. He was a big reason along with…

Barney Smith 8/21/25 Barney Smith 8/21/25

Gardens, Garlic and Groundhogs

Not long after I started growing garlic, a woodchuck got into my wife’s vegetable garden. The country boy way of handling that would be to send them into the next world. But my wife would…

Barney Smith 8/7/25 Barney Smith 8/7/25

Boulders, Rocks, and Stones

Even after the stonewalls were built, clearing rocks out of the fields was a never-ending chore. Every time a farmer plowed a field, a new crop of rocks would come to the surface. It was the crop that never failed. There was…

Barney Smith 7/31/25 Barney Smith 7/31/25

Monsters Under the Bed and Other Bullies

It's one thing to have fear of the unknown, it's another thing to have it up in your face. In my freshman year of high school, I went to Spaulding H.S. in Barre VT. It was real…