Author Archives: leodenatale

Ink By Leo de Natale I was shopping at a Star Market store the other day. It was unusually hot and humid. As I exited a masked, sweaty, obese, gray-haired lady wearing thick eyeglasses was entering. She was probably in her 70’s or 80’s and dressed in a grandmotherly v-neck dress. She wouldn’t be confusedContinue reading “Ink”

The Love Of A Horse By Leo de Natale On a crisp autumn day, riding a horse at full gallop is the greatest adrenal rush one can experience. Guiding a 1,200 lb. animal across a grassy field is exhilarating. You feel the speed, the pounding hooves, the refreshing cool of the wind in your face […]

Vitreous Humor By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci        I graduated from optometry school in 1981.  It was a time when the profession’s tectonic plates were shifting. Theretofore it was a hybrid occupation: half optician/half eye doctor.  It was a time where at optometric conventions the audience, mostly male, was awash in whiteContinue reading “Vitreous Humor”

Paper or Plastic? By Leo de Natale           The Covid-19 virus has upended the American economy and one medical group, plastic surgeons, is in a tizzy.  The surgery these folks perform has gone the way of all medical care.  During the past three months there have been no face lifts, no Botox injections, no laserContinue reading “Paper Or Plastic?”

A Day At  Market Basket By Leo de Natale  Market Basket, aka “The Basket”,   is one of the largest and most successful supermarket chains in New England.  The stores have become the Starbucks of supermarkets – they grow like weeds.  The success has been established by an intelligent marketing strategy:  Lower your prices and TheyContinue reading “A Day At Market Basket”

The Toupee Store By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci Francis Anthony “Frank” Capelli was one of those poor bastards who had the genetic misfortune of premature baldness. By age 22, his dark curly Italian hairline started heading northward. Each day as he peered at the face in the bathroom mirror, a few moreContinue reading “The Toupee Store”

Il Doppio Standard By Leo de Natale The epigram “Life is unfair” is usually attributed to Robert F. Kennedy, the most pugnacious of the three Kennedy boys. He had an intimidating personality and, because he was the scion of a ruthless, calculating father, he usually found himself beneficiary of a deep scoop of “fairness”- atContinue reading “Il Doppio Standard”

My, How Neighborhoods  Change By Leo de Natale In the winter of 1978 an infamously historic blizzard swept through New England and crippled the region, especially Boston, for weeks. The killer storm arrived swiftly and deposited nearly 30 inches of snow. Cars were stranded on highways. About 100 persons died and another 4,500 were injured.Continue reading “My, How Neighborhoods Change”

“Where Is Everbody Redux?” By Leo de Natale I was parked in downtown Boston on a beautiful May afternoon. My wife had an ophthalmology appointment. I drove to the office near the city’s Government Center. Our dog, Kaiser, an aging German Shepherd Dog, came along for the ride.        In the midst of this Covid-19Continue reading ““Where Is Everybody Redux?””

A Modest Proposal By Leo de Natale Albany, NY — Boisterous Gov. Andrew Cuomo, intrepid in his fight against the Covid-19 Plague, has just announced yet another ban. From May 4, 2020 forward, all males living in the state will be forced to eliminate facial hair – beards, mustaches, goatees and sideburns. “According to theContinue reading “A Modest proposal”