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The fall

I fell last week. It’s not the first time, but this time I had a cake in my hands and, boy, was it a mess. I stepped on stones I couldn’t see and they rolled on the concrete like marbles. As I hit the ground, I thought, well, at least I’m not alone; it’s Market Night and there are people everywhere. Someone will surely come help me. But no one did. I was hurt, bleeding and embarrassed. I had vibrant green and blue icing from my nose to my chest, and I was holding back tears. But the cake only lost a bit of the frosting, and the plate didn’t break. So slowly, after ...

A euphemism is an agreeable expression

Okay, I will admit it: I enjoy studying euphemisms. Euphemisms are those words we use as a substitute for a word that may be unpleasant or offensive. Many years ago, for instance, a proper farm wife wouldn’t say “boar” or “bull.” She would euphemize with “the male animal.” The late British raconteur Quentin Crisp described euphemisms as “unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.” Euphemisms pop up early in our lives as our parents attempt to prevent us from embarrassing them. Often the euphemisms parents teach their little ones are more embarrassing than the ...

Has it really been eight months?

My plan was to give a six-month update into how the position of sheriff has been going, but when I looked at my calendar and it was already August, I think I finally realized that time was slipping away from me as fast as I could think. I wanted to give the citizens of Hamilton County an update on what we have accomplished at the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office in my first six months, but now that is eight months. But it has been an incredibly busy and productive eight months. We have accomplished a lot, and I have nothing but praise and admiration for the staff that has been ...

Friends and explosions

As we near the 80th anniversary of the explosion that ultimately convinced the Japanese that World War II was lost to them, I am reminded of another, far less volatile explosion, that perfectly illustrates the relationship between the Curtis family and the Dinsdales. Dad, as in my father, Leonard Curtis, returned from the Pacific Theater of the war having served with the Air Apaches, the American 345th Bomb Group. It was, according to military historian Jay A. Stout, “legendary in the war against Japan. The first fully trained and fully equipped group sent to the South Pacific, the ...

The trauma of geekhood

Being a teenage geek (or nerd) is sad enough but when your kids find out it hurts. I remember the day my daughter realized the truth of my past. Arriving home from work one afternoon some 30 years ago, I discovered my then-about-16-year-old daughter reading her mother’s and my old high school yearbooks. She glared at me with that condescending look girls learn in “Womanhood 101.” The conversation took place long ago but this is as close as I can remember it: “What’s up?” I asked. “Just reading the autographs in your yearbooks,” she responded with a hint of ...

Webster City, it’s been an honor

Serving as your representative on the Webster City Council for the past 12 years has been one of the greatest privileges of my life. The pride and fulfillment I’ve felt during this time are difficult to put into words. With my current term concluding at the end of this year, it’s again time for reflection — a ritual familiar to any public servant approaching an election year. And this year, my reflections have led me to a clear and heartfelt decision. As I near my 45th birthday next month, I find myself more aware than ever of time’s quiet passage. When I first joined the ...