Author Archives: johndiestler

The ground had always been there, a counterbalance to the sky. The ancient ground looked different—rough, jagged, ready for erosion and shaping. It waited for a very long time. Eventually the ground became soft mounds, connected to other soft mounds, … Continue reading →

refursive (adj.) Characterized by recursive return, reflexive examination, and revision through recognized discrepancy. A refursive process returns to a point of fracture, refuses concealment of what has been revealed, and allows that revelation to alter future operation. refursion (n.) The … Continue reading →

Oh sure, I know change is coming, it’s in the song, it’s in my DNA! Meiosis is my new word of the month. I’m really okay with change. It’s the ramifications that concern me.  I’m good with adapting. Okay, mostly … Continue reading →

Is it a road? Is it a journey? Is it ambition? Is it the long ball struck cleanly with a three wood, rising against a blue sky?  My father says, ‘Hey, let’s go for a drive!’ What that really means … Continue reading →

Utah can be a desolate country. Miles of desert in every direction. Not lifeless, but not life that is recognizable to inhabitants of either continental coast. It is best approached on foot, allowing the change to overwhelm you slowly. Long … Continue reading →

It all starts in Indianapolis, the Taggart Baking Company in 1921 was preparing to launch a new loaf of bread. They announced in newspaper ads: “A Wonder is Coming.” Elmer Cline, president of Taggert Baking, had attended the International Balloon … Continue reading →

Morning It’s still dark, the blush of dawn minutes away, and I sit in my chair looking at the window, trying to see the change. The earth is spinning towards the light, and we use this to mark a new … Continue reading →

There is a fence. It runs across a field that stretches farther than the eye can follow—a thin line drawn across an expanse that does not ask to be divided. It is not a forever fence. Its reach is finite, … Continue reading →

My father never took me to Disneyland. It was new then, and reasonably priced, but it was south, deep in the middle of the LA basin — not a place where my father was comfortable. I understood that, and really … Continue reading →

Here is the scenario.   A young boy, quiet, observant, forced even more so by his younger brother, who is the exact opposite. René is a cyclone, ripping through life, uprooting trees, sucking the oxygen out of rooms, leaving people … Continue reading →