“Container Homes” Article for On Common Ground Magazine
This was a great assignment because it combined repurposing surplus materials to build affordable housing - a win/win in my book. You can read the article here, if you'd like.
“What I’m Thankful For”
DECEMBER 2016 THE WRITE STUFF PAGE NCW Essay Contest Winner by Kurt Buss As a Baby Boomer, I’ve lived long enough to be thankful for many things—and I’m most thankful for that. With Cuba in the news following Castro’s death I’m reminded of the Cold War, and how close the world came to nuclear annihilation
Shatter Your Fears: Climbing a 14er for the first (and only) time as a Boomer
This story was originally published by BoomerCafe.com “Come on, Dad. You can do it!” My twenty-something daughter’s voice was bouncing in my head. She had been saying that for years whenever we talked about “climbing a 14er,” and she was saying it now, as I struggled beneath the summit of Mt. Torrey (elevation 14,275’) in
Post Midlife Musings on the Purpose of the Past
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” -Henry Ford Hard to argue with, isn’t it? I think so, so I stopped trying. But not after decades of doing what I had always done, which was work for other people, at the place of their choosing, when
Early Morning Breakfast at the All-Night Diner
Ben Rogue sits alone in his habitual booth at an all-night diner, gazing through the window at the restless, neon street. It’s three-thirty in the morning and the sirens are singing a cappella on East Colfax Avenue in Denver, outside Borracho’s Café, known to locals as Cucaracho’s Café, as he smashes a namesake bug
“Bringing It All Back Home”
I worked for many years in the building deconstruction and material reuse business, taking apart structures and re-purposing the components. I had the opportunity to write a feature article on the subject for the Boulder Green Building Journal, so I took it. Click here to view the PDF file
Natural Home “Eco-Expert”
I always loved this publication. It had a Southwest tone to it. It was nicely produced. I was happy when a friend of mine who worked there asked me if I'd respond to a question in their "Eco-Experts" section where readers pose questions and invited "experts" respond. It was a relatively easy question that I
And So It Begins
It’s 1960, and I am born. No experience. Call me Stupit. I’ve worked all my life for other people. It’s 2015, and I have nothing to show for it. Except for my kids, which have nothing to do with working for other people – of being a cog in someone else’s machine. The one thing
Slow Creeping Demons and a Sleepless Night
A recent news program concerning the growing use of steroids among teenagers sent me to bed with a disturbing image stuck in my mind, and judging from the manner in which I later found myself entangled with my blankets, I would guess that my dreams that night had been rather disturbing as well. The image
The Crazy Shepherd Years
First Issue | The Crazy Shepherd The original Crazy Shepherd editors: Karen Gerrity, Petr Kotz, Jim McCarter, Bill Lueders and myself (seated). "Holy the lone juggernaut! Holy the vast lamb of the middle class! Holy the crazy shepherds of rebellion..." Allen Ginsberg, "Footnote to Howl" (1955) In May of 1982 the first issue of The Crazy
