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Crankbaits in the summer

The weather in many areas has been very inconsistent this summer. One day it’s warm, the next day it’s twenty degrees cooler. The one weather related thing that we’ve been able to count on is the wind. One day it’s windy, the next day it’s windier. But as we get farther into summer, there’s something else that we can count on. The water is warming up, and as the water warms, crankbaits can be very reliable fish-catchers. Here are some ideas about crankbaiting for more fish in the summer. Crankbaits come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. They’re productive by either ...

Wisdom from around the world

Some Americans wrongly think we’re better, smarter or even more sophisticated than citizens of other nations. We have more toys, more technology, more money. Sadly, we also have more problems. It is worthwhile to consider the value of other cultures’ wisdom. Without advanced degrees and 21st century technology, even the less advanced cultures around the world have wisdom similar, even superior to our own. I enjoy studying the “folk wisdom” of other cultures. My mother was a first generation American, the daughter of immigrants from the Netherlands and Germany. Neither of my ...

Don’t discount Webster City success stories

It feels good to write a story about success. If you read the Daily Freeman Journal regularly, when you read through the pages of time, most of the stories in the past are about businesses expanding, progress in the community, sometimes there is a story that is looking back that seems funny, insightful, progressive or inspiring. One day I hope today's paper will be cited in the “Pages of time,” as the success of Dave Perin and his company are splashed across the front page. It shows the spirit of entrepreneurship that happened when a bad news story eventually turned into good ...

The lost art of complaining

While we Americans enjoy complaining — about the weather, taxes, politics and most anything else — I fear we are losing the “art” of complaining. It seems fewer folks these days have the ability to express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment in a manner which allows both parties to retain a sense of dignity. Even after years in retirement, multiple experiences of “unskilled complainers” remain in my memory. Some years ago I read a magazine article on the art of complaining. It listed positive ways to deal with businesses, public agencies and individuals when ...

Catch ’em in the summer

Crazy isn’t it? It seems like not so long ago we were wading in the cold water of rivers in search of early season walleyes and now we’re thinking about catching fish during the hottest weather of the year. Fishing can be like the weather in the summer. Both can be very hot. To take ...

Accountability, responsibility starts at the top

In law enforcement, accountability is a word that gets used often. It is demanded by the public. It is expected by elected officials. Sometimes it becomes the center of discussion after a mistake, a complaint, or a tragedy. But accountability is not something that should only appear when something goes wrong. True accountability starts long before a critical incident. It starts in the mirror. As leaders in any profession, we do not earn credibility or respect by talking about standards. We earn those things by living them. The standard is not what we say during a press conference. The ...