What is Fine with the World

Everyone spends so much time bitching and moaning about things they don’t like, or things that are wrong and which they can’t possibly fix. So here’s a list of what I like; things that are perfect and don’t need fixing.

The people I love:

My wife. I love Carole Henderson. She’s sweet and patient. She put up with me, and she put up with my horrid family until I decided to remove us from the circle of my family. She's the number one important person to me.


My son. Andy has to have one of the sweetest dispositions of any person I’ve ever known. I’d do anything for him.



The stuff I like:

Warm baths. What the hell? There are not too many things that feel better than a hot bath.

The mountains. Yes, I like the mountains. Among the great things that I do is to climb to the summit of a tall peak and look around. Sometimes the peak is exposed and I can see for hundreds of miles. And sometimes the peak is all in trees and I can hang out and observe the vegetation and all that lives in it.

Old forests. There aren’t many things more pleasing to me than sitting in an old growth forest and just being quiet. I love to see the country as it once was from shore to shore.

Beer. Oh, hell yes! I don’t know how long humans have been making beer, but I’ve been actively drinking it since I was in my late 20s. An acquired taste? Maybe. But I do love the flavor of a good beer.

Cheese. Once again, humans at work with fermenting stuff! There’s not a lot better than sitting down to eat with some kind of cheese, some good fresh baked bread, and a big mug of beer. My, my, yes!


Books. Oh, my life has been the better because of books. I love to read! I love fiction, and I love non-fiction. No matter where I am, I can stop and while away the time by reading a good book. Mankind’s greatest achievement has been Writing.

The things I enjoy doing:

Hiking. I love to hike. My first choice is a tough mountain trail tackling a steep slope leading up to a high mountain peak. But I also enjoy hiking the flatlands and wandering around the low country. There is no better way to spend a day than hiking a nice trail through a forest, whether it is a cove hardwood forest in the Smokies, or a maritime forest on the South Carolina coast.

Camping. Once again, it could be anywhere. But it’s the thing my family and I enjoy doing the most together, as a family. As long as we’re in the forest or beside the ocean, together, away from the crowds.