Curations from the Human Jungle
[As you, hopefully, soldier on with "Still Time" I thought it would be a good time to compare myself as an author with John Steinbeck. Here's a trailer from the Hollywood version of his epic novel. SB SM] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqVoIQ5UsT8 https://jillianhess.substack.com/p/how-john-steinbeck-actually-wrote “A good writer always works at the impossible.” Jillian Hess Oct 05, 2026 In 1951,... Continue Reading →
[Miss an installment of "Still Time?" Find it on the home page for SilverbackDigest.com . SB SM] 2019 A Movable Feast Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs after the spring equinox. Because it lacks a fixed calendar date, shifting with the moon and the seasons, it is known... Continue Reading →
[If you ever find yourself in Brattleboro, Vermont with nothing to do, I recommend a visit to the Estey Organ Company Museum on Birge Street. You will learn a lot and see even more. SB SM] 2018 Ryan Keogh, 20, starched and pressed in his blue uniform, crosses the creaky porch and knocks on the... Continue Reading →
April "T.S. Eliot said 'April is the cruelest month,' and I say 'Why did T.S. need four extra words to state the obvious?'” Grace looks up from her coffee. "I really haven't spent a lot of time pondering that issue." Henry has not been awaiting her response and is quickly in full rant mode. “'April,'”... Continue Reading →
[After what seems like a long digression, we are back in Vermont, coping with the slow development of Spring. SB SM] April "Whatchu doin', Henry?" Emmanuel "Manny" Mannucci has parked in the driveway of The 'Stead and walked back to the garden, a professional realtor with a perpetual eye on The 'Stead, the property owned... Continue Reading →
A Rocket in the Pocket The air in the office on the third Tuesday is charged with a different kind of electricity. Quinn sits across from Burton, her posture as rigid as a flagstaff, but her eyes are restless. They have spent the last hour dissecting regional demographic shifts, yet her focus keeps drifting toward... Continue Reading →
[Where did these characters come from, and how did they end up in this story? Good questions, and I do not have good answers. All I know is, here they are. SB SM] August, 2025 “Bumpa t'bumpa," Burton Trottier says aloud. Then again, "Bumpa t'bumpa." And again, "Bumpa t'bumpa." He pulls up on the window... Continue Reading →
[A break from Still Time. Silverback John (Mendocino Bonobos) forwarded these puns. Meanwhile, check out my giant zucchini! SB SM]
[Finally, unmistakable signs of spring, but with constant reminders that April is, indeed, the "cruelist month." SB SM] April The silver-gray Mercedes hums north on I-93, the engine’s rhythm a steady heartbeat beneath the surface of Burton’s mounting anxiety. Beside him, Quinn sits in a stillness that is entirely uncharacteristic. Usually, her fingers are a... Continue Reading →
[Finally, signs of spring appear, but for Vermonters that's the signal to put up your best defenses, because Mother Nature is about to whack you upside the head. SB SM] March March in Vermont arrives this year like a constipated lion, dumping eighteen inches of heavy, heart-attack snow on Town Meeting Day. In other parts... Continue Reading →