Martin Wiles

It's amazing how one lump of putty can mimic life. Though I can't imagine many kids being satisfied with it now, Silly Putty™ provided hours of entertainment when I was a child. Unlike Play-Doh™, which would turn hard and crumble if … Read more

Jewels can sometimes be found among the junk. My wife calls it "junking", and she does it quite often. When possible, I usually tag along. We don't actually visit junkyards or stores, but we call what we do junking because we do it among … Read more

Nasty. Repulsive. Though he doesn't know what an adjective is, I could tell that these two were circling in his mind. My wife recently introduced our middle grandson to table food. We could tell that baby food wasn't satisfying him any … Read more

Having been antique collectors and dealers for several years, my wife and I love the smell of "old". How does "old" smell? Perhaps only those who deal with old things can tell. When I open a book published in the 1800s, I smell "old". … Read more

The gifts circled the tree in a wide radius and reached toward the ceiling. Early Christmases escape my memory, but the later ones I remember fondly. My grandmother worked at the local hospital as a nursing assistant, and my grandfather … Read more

On November 21, 2015, I experienced another first. Firsts are important. On this day, two of my cousins brought a mahogany china cabinet to our home. The reason that it was a first is not because it's the first one that I've ever owned … Read more

Extravagant beyond imagination was all that ran through my mind. George Vanderbilt created Biltmore in 1895 for family and friends as an escape from everyday life. His descendants still own this magnificent display of wealth that rests … Read more

I knew that it was there, but I couldn't see it. When a new or full moon coincides with the moon's closest approach to the earth, it is called a supermoon. The last one for 2021 occurred on June 24th. Once before, when this happened, I … Read more

She raised up on the bed, writhing in pain. I'd watched my wife suffer with kidney stones before. Once, over the course of a week, her abdominal pain had worsened to the point that it merited a trip to the local emergency room. After a … Read more

The thought of experiencing it unnerved me — even though I claimed to be prepared. While a pre-teen, the fear of dying overcame me. As a nine-year-old, I had chosen to follow Jesus. I knew that He had a place in heaven for me, but I … Read more