Article Archives: Words with Woods

History and Mystery

October 8, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

I climbed the steps leading away from the light-rail station onto the street above it; a woman bounded up the steps behind me and at the top, asked for directions to a street. I pointed her in the right direction and she startled me by asking, “Do you want to … Read More

What? The Fall?

October 1, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

I was looking at the work of an orb-weaver that had crafted a web across a good portion of my kitchen window. I idly noted a curled and yellowed leaf caught in the web. Later that day, I saw the spider. It clung to the threads at the middle of … Read More

Skidding Into Home

September 24, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

I was cackling and guffawing with my dear friend as she detailed her experience of shopping with her 16-year-old daughter on what she called “Old Folks Day.” She giggled, “We have to dodge walkers and canes and those motorized carts.” My own laughter skidded to a halt on the friction … Read More

Squirrel

September 17, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

One of my favorite movies has, as a bit player, a squirrel. In National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the family cry is “SQUIRREL!” followed by that animal exploding from the interior of a Christmas tree. The squirrels in my old neighborhood displayed antics that amused me in much the same way … Read More

The Degrees

September 10, 2026 | by CJ Woods III

In June of 2020, I saw a post on a social media site that was directed to an arts group that I had joined. Deb S Kent was soliciting participation from the Eastside Arts Collective to help a family repaint their fence. The fence had been “defaced… with hate speech,” … Read More