Category Archives: Uncategorized

B. O. Plenty By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci In 1931, cartoonist Chester Gould created a newspaper comic strip, Dick Tracy. It was immensely popular and introduced America to a cast of characters that became household names. One of them was a disheveled roustabout named B. O. Plenty, who, as the name impliedContinue reading “B.O.Plenty”

It’s All About The Chrome By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci           It was the last week of April, 2021 and all Dr. Vito Di Stronzo wanted was a new car.  In his 65 years he dreaded a time that affects us all: dealing with car people and the labyrinthine  world of automobilesContinue reading “It’s All About The Chrome”

Paradise, Sicilian Style By Leo de Natale Drawing by Vince Giovannucci On the eastern coast of Sicily lies a small village that has been luring inhabitants for millennia. Its name is Taormina and is located on a coastal roadway between Messina and Catania. The village is actually located more than 800 feet above the azureContinue reading “Paradise, Sicilian Style”

Brownie By Leo de Natale I was rummaging through some cardboard boxes in my attic last week. They’d been stored away after my wife and I sold our property in Belmont, Massachusetts three years ago. Near the bottom of one of the boxes lay a black, rectangular device with rounded edges. I smiled and reactedContinue reading “Brownie”

Der Kaiser ByLeo de Natale He is age twelve and old. His muzzle is gray, has white whiskers and his body has changed. His name is Kaiser and he is a German Shepherd Dog. His life has developed a rhythmic pattern. Eat, sleep and tend to bodily functions. Despite his age, Kaiser is a happyContinue reading “Der Kaiser”

Shine My Shoes By Leo de Natale Attached to a basement wall lies a family heirloom. It is not fine china, a framed portrait or a family coat-of-arms. The inheritance is a homely, rickety cast iron shoe shine rack that has served three generations. It is approximately 100 years old and is still used toContinue reading “Shine My Shoes”

Out of the Inkwell By Leo de Natale Illustration by Vince Giovannucci Daniel Butler Elementary School, Belmont MA           “Good morning class,”  Teacher Mildred Gale said to her freshly scrubbed fourth graders.  “Today we start our penmanship exercises.  We’ll be using the Rinehart method.”           Miss Gale was  dour and a character from Central Casting. Continue reading “Out of the Inkwell”

Suet By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci           We are living in an age of intolerance. Political, religious, cultural.  As each year goes by the schisms seem to widen.  The divisiveness has been exacerbated by a plague that has gripped the world for nearly twelve months.  Isolation, fear, depression, suicide and wide-scale unemploymentContinue reading “Suet”

 Irritability Quotient: The New IQ By Leo de Natale Illustrations by Vince Giovannucci The term IQ, Itelligence Quotient, was coined in 1916 and originally called the Stanford-Binet test. It quickly became known as the IQ test and the gold standard of a person’s intelligence. A score of 130 or higher placed an individual in theContinue reading “Irritability Quotient: The New IQ”

60 Percent Off and GoneByLeo de Natale Big red signs blare “Going Out of Business”, “Everything 60 Percent Off” a familiar sight these days but there’s a sadness; It’s Lord & Taylor, God, what are they doing to my old store? Men’s Department, shoes and their empty boxes are strewn on the floor everywhere; noContinue reading “60 Percent Off And Gone”