Life Stories and Tales to be Told

Ned’s Online Autobiography and Multimedia Archive

Ned Buratovich wearing STORY TELLER T-shirt

Here I share my personal and family history stories. Now (September 2023) I have resumed posting to this site after a three-year hiatus due to health challenges. At this point, telling stories is what keeps me going.

I feel shame for having fallen out of touch with so many close family and friends, many quite abruptly during the years of caregiving crises with mom. I’m using this website as a way of reaching out and reconnecting, and giving some explanation for why I have been incommunicado for so long. For the full story, see my About Page.

I’ve just begun expanding this site beyond family history to include personal journaling. Expect continuous upgrading and reorganization. For the near term, this home page presentation is simply three lists: Featured Stories, Recent Stories and Developing Storylines.

Stories Added/Updated Recently

A Note About This “What’s New” List

One this site, all the stories are given the post date of the event occurrence and the stories are typically listed in that chronological order.

Since I’m continually adding stories with event dates across the decades, a chronological list by event won’t tell you what the most recently published stories are.

This Stories Added/Updated Recently List displays the stories (posts) that are recently published or older posts that have been recently updated with more content.

The stories below are listed with most recently added/updated posts first. Use this as a list of “What’s New” on this site.

Frances Buratovich Storybook Memories

NedBuratovich.com became a repository for Buratovich Family Stories, with stories from Frances' (mom's) life to refresh her fading memory in her final years.

Mom reads poem, Mother’s Day 2016

On Mother's Day, 2016, Ned's mom reads a poem she wrote to her own mother.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

This dingy, old newsprint clipping contained the recipe used by mom for decades to make big batches of chocolate chip cookies. Recipe reprinted here to be legible and downloadable as one-page PDF.

Unpacking My Past

Sorting through sentimental items in storage: telling my story through inventory.

Poems by Frances Buratovich – Listed by Title

Frances wrote simple, positive poetry about her experiences and philosophies. This page lists, by title, all her poems posted to this website.

All Poems by Frances – On a Single Page

Frances wrote a series of poems about her experiences and philosophies. This article presents all her poems on one, long page for easy scrolling through the entire collection.

Suicide Watch Time

A series of stories on mental health anguish and recovery.

Chronic Pain Chronicles

A collection of stories documenting my road to recovery from a spinal injury.

Mom Care Memoir

Documenting my epic and challenging journey of caregiving for mom.

Personal Journal and Autobiographical Archive

For 2023, I'm adding personal journaling to the family stories already at this website.

Autoblogography.me – Original Daily Blog

Seven days of reflective journaling from the week I buried mom. Originally posted at my Autoblogography.me site, now archived on this page at NedBuratovich.com.

Grateful To Be Alive

Expressing gratitude for my favorite places in the park which helped me heal.

Doctor’s Indelicate Diagnosis

I asked the doctor treating me for my painful low-back injury, "Tell it to me straight, Doc, what's my diagnosis?"

Donald in a Tree Fork

Donald climbs into the crotch of a forking tree.

Happy New Year, Happy New Affirmations

Recorded on New Year's Day, reaffirming my dedication to self-expression as a means of self-preservation.

Ashley and Nicole’s Wedding

Nicole Buratovich marries Ash Reuland on April 9, 2016 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Jett Luka’s Third Birthday

Jett Luka's third birthday with friends and family in Mesa, AZ on November 2, 2013

Mom Bakes Biscotti Italiani

Mom’s Italian biscotti cookies were legendary. She made many batches over the decades and gave many packages of them away as gifts. This post contains the recipe mom used as well as photos from her biscotti baking, August 2011.

Nick Makes Dinner 4-8-23

Nick makes a filet mignon dinner in 90 seconds in this sped-up video with a rock soundtrack.

Patio Garden Tour 4-30-23

Quick video tour of the flowers and plants in the container garden on my front patio.

Pushing Through Pain

Trying to exercise after taking a fall resulted in soul-crushing pain that forced me to bed.

Cupping Sucks

Cupping therapy uses suction cups to stimulate blood flow, but can leave bruises as shown here.

Walking the Park without Pain

After 8 months of practicing walking, finally able to take a walk without constant pain.

Old Man Using Drugs in Park

Like in my youth, but the drugs are different now.

Developing Storylines

A Note About Storylines

This site already has over one hundred posts, over the next few months, there will be hundreds more. Each post usually covers a single event, incident, observation or insight.

I have certain posts, categorized as “compilations” which gather related stories around a narrative thread. These “storylines” present a series of stories around a timeline with interspersed commentary showing how the pieces fit together for the larger view.

For now (September 2023) I’ve selected these three storylines for this front page:

My memoir of caregiving for mom, epic in every way, with hundreds of stories I was too overwhelmed to share until now. My chronic pain journey of the last four years which has dominated everything in my life. My nostalgic processing of my past, acknowledging it, blessing it and, finally, letting go of so much.