Curations from the Human Jungle
[I got me a Jazz name--Step. My sister gave it to me when I was two and she was five. She was a precocious child, already learning to read, write, and spell before attending school. Baby brother's name is Stephen, my Mama said, and that's spelled like two words put together, "Step" and "hen." Henceforth,... Continue Reading →
[These are the precious mornings when it's fun to sit outside, open up the Merlin app on your smartphone, and see how many species can be identified during the span of one cup of coffee. My record is 23. SB SM] Play this while you read. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/wqp3AlFPc58 The Outside Story By Jack Beaudoin One of... Continue Reading →
[Paul Taylor is a college classmate. The feature photo is Paul taking his cuts at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. SB SM] This Is Getting Old is the memoir of Paul Taylor, journalist, lover, researcher, spouse, Dad, data geek, athlete wannabe, and lifelong resident of Fourth Lake, an Adirondack community of mostly seasonal residents. "This is getting... Continue Reading →
[He's been resting up, but now he's back, and back with a vengeance. These clips are from our favorite North of the Border Silverback, Ross the Magnificent. SB SM] https://youtube.com/shorts/nYgtHe6dcog?is=1rRphJ968_DgIOCV https://youtube.com/shorts/b_dxMUaI8n0?is=MLbG12yH81KJ10kn https://youtube.com/shorts/svBzwJ1Mrp4?is=co6OVhXxR_-997rl https://youtube.com/shorts/XPSpw74bka0?is=UXmy6FU_IoWkxIgm https://youtube.com/shorts/YsBADqgZVcM?is=hZejgPchXVKATo6Y
[Yes, the buds have now appeared on the trees, but it wasn't long ago that our lives were mired in mud, eternally stuck in a ditch. Before we lose ourselves in the glory of sprouting peas, let's give a final wave to the memories of mud. SB SM] By Stephen Morris, published originally in the... Continue Reading →
[It can't be coincidental that I am learning my first Sinatra tune on the guitar? What happens when "Play Loud, Play Fast, and Get the Hell Off the Stage meets Ol' Blue Eyes? Maybe I'll show you one of these days. SB SM] When I Discovered Sinatra Christian McBride March 19, 2026 https://christianmcbride1.substack.com/p/when-i-discovered-sinatra For years,... Continue Reading →
[Before publishing an article in Silverback Digest, I take a moment to gaze into a mirror, stroke my hairy chin and ask myself "What does this have to do with the mission of Silverback Digest?" And sometimes the answer is "Not a goddamn thing." This is one of those days. I found this to be... Continue Reading →
[I dunno ... doesn't seem to be quite the bucket list item it was back in 1965. SB SM] The Mother Road has seen better days, sure, but some of its weirdest landmarks refuse to fade into history. These ten survivors prove that America's appetite for roadside oddities is stronger than ever. 1 Blue Whale of... Continue Reading →
[As much as we love Mud Season, all good things must come to an end. SB SM] The Outside Story Paddling Floodplain Forests By Catherine Wessel By early April I start to get impatient for full-blown spring. I’m ready for the treetops to be full of warblers and the understory to be crowded with blooming... Continue Reading →
[We've published excerpts from this book before. It's a story that never gets old. Eat bananas instead.. SB SM] Today's encore selection -- from Citizen Coke: The Making of Coca-Cola Capitalism by Bartow J. Elmore. Sugar and the 5¢ Coke: "Humans love sugar (sucrose), a disaccharide consisting of one glucose molecule bound to one fructose molecule, and for good... Continue Reading →