Stories Short and Strange
17 short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange.
Perspective on Winter
Since we’re in the middle of a major snowfall, I thought it appropriate to repost my poem about winter. It’s from my book Some Poems About Life, available here and on Amazon.com. Perspective The son stood in the doorway,Behold a beautiful sight!As far as he could see,nothing but fluffy white! Today would be a timeof laughter and
Another “Word of the Year”
In an earlier post, I had mentioned that Disctionary.com had announced demure — “characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved,” — as its Word of the Year. Now the Oxford University Press has taken a completely different approach. Its 2024 Oxford Word of the Year is brain rot — “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or
The Illogical Logic of Paradoxes
Life is full of contradictions, something we usually try to avoid. And yet, have you ever read a statement or problem that either appears to produce two completely contradictory (but possible) outcomes, or seems to prove something we can’t expect? This is a paradox. They can be mind-blowing, yet also fun to contemplate. For example,
Thanks, Santa
Christmas is fast approaching, so it’s time to repost my Christmas story. This was inspired by a friend who works as a department store Santa. He once described meeting a little girl with a special wish, and I took it from there. This is included in my book, Stories: Short and Strange, available on this website, and
The Word of the Year Has Been Announced
It’s that time of the year again. Dictionary.com has announced demure as 2024’s Word of the Year. Dictionary.com defines demure as “characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved,” but the word took on new life on the Internet. More specifically, it was popularized on TikTok by Jools Lebron, whose phrase “very demure, very mindful” was featured in a
Announcing “No Limits”
An Ohio farm boy climbs Kilimanjaro at age 69, finishes a 199-mile relay with Air Force Academy classmates at age 70, receives the coveted Abbott Medal for finishing all six “World Marathon Majors” at age 73, earns the Seven Continents Medal for finishing marathons on all seven continents at age 74. “I’m just grateful to
Have You Ever Heard of a Grolar Bear?
Never underestimate the adaptability of nature. I was reminded of this again by a Smithsonian Magazine article entitled “Five Shocking Animal Hybrids That Truly Exist in Nature, From Narlugas to Grolar Bears to Coywolves” by Carlyn Kranking (https://getpocket.com/explore/item/five-shocking-animal-hybrids-that-truly-exist-in-nature-from-narlugas-to-grolar-bears-to-coywolves?) Some of these are pretty predictable, like the liger, the result of a male lion and female tiger,
Revisiting Slang from the 1930s
Do you remember being forced to read Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in high school? Do you remember how weird the English of that period sounded? The English language is constantly changing; Google has become a verb. I was reminded of this again when I ran across the article “20 Delightful Slang Terms From the 1930s”
An Easy Way to Lower a City’s Temperature
There hasn’t been much good news on the climate front lately. We’ve just survived a record hot summer, and the very expensive natural disasters continue. Yet here is something positive — painting roofs white can significantly lower urban temperatures. This revelation came from London, which is expecting a changing climate to bring hotter and drier summers,
For Those Who Love Short Stories
Seventeen short stories for general audiences ranging from the unusual to the unbelievable to the just plain strange. Now at Aamazon.com https://www.amazon.com/Stories-Short-Strange-Bob-Welbaum-ebook/dp/B0D3S444J3/ref=sr_1_1? Paperback $15.99 Kindle Unlimited $0.00 or $3.99 to buy