Author: Ed Lehner

The Awakening of Russell Henderson

/ Ed Lehner / Leave a comment

Every Sunday, I try to post an excerpt from my novel, The Awakening of Russell Henderson. Here’s another. The book is available at http://www.amazon.com/author/edwardlehner.

I followed her to the great room where I saw a tall man with narrow hips, broad shoulders, blond hair, and blazing blue eyes set into a square jawed chiseled face. He had on a sleeveless t-shirt exposing his rope muscled tattooed arms, khaki cargo shorts, and flip-flops. Hanna ran to him and was swept up into, what appeared to me to be a bone crushing hug.

“Hanna! So good to see you! You’re back. I can quit worrying now. Man, you look more beautiful than ever. Traveling must suit you.” He grabbed her again for a long hug and kisses in her cheeks. She giggled in delight. He let her go and turned to me. “And you’re Russell — ”

He walked towards me and I felt totally intimidated by him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into a man hug, something I had never experienced before. Men in my family and in my home town did not hug. You shook hands at proper arms length and that was that. Having never been hugged by a man before, I was taken by how hard his body felt, unlike Hanna’s which was all soft and snuggly. 

“Damn, Russell, good to meet you. Hanna’s told me about you. Said she likes you. I guess if she thinks you’re okay, maybe I will too.”

Oh shit. Maybe?

Doldrums

/ Ed Lehner / Leave a comment

I’ve been in a writing/creative slump for a few months now. Leafing through my most recent journal I came across this from 2018. Sort of fits. (Saraswati is the Hindu Goddess of creativity and her statue sits in my studio.)

over and over
I write over and over
I write over and over
I write over and over
I write over and over —

all day long I wrote
over and over again and again
All night long I wrote
over and over again and again
for weeks and weeks —

until the white haired woman
in black and grey walked by
with black and grey dogs
with black and grey collars
with black and grey leashes
of braided leather —

clouds followed her
Leaving a bluebird sky 
with bright sunlight
to warm a tired soul
giving new life to 
the pencil and pad
that lay dormant for so long.

Saraswati smiled.

Escalante Trial and Dolores

/ Ed Lehner / Leave a comment

We did a little hike on the Escalante Trail this morning. McFee Reservoir should have probably 20 or 25 feet higher this time of year. Good indication of our drought.

The Yucca plants are producing fruit. Apparently it can be quite good albeit I have never tried it.

A few shots of the 1200 year old walls of the ruins.

Then we had a nice lunch at the Montezuma Mexican outdoors on the river restaurant in Dolores