Breaking News

Webster City’s first woman mayor

As I write this, all the news (whether it’s fit to print or not) is about the elections of 2024. I am not going to write about politics or anything else quite as controversial. I am, however, going to write about something that does have local historical merit. One of the results of ...

A disturbingly long dream

Listening to the radio while driving down the road recently I heard the 1950s Johnny Tillotson recording “Send Me the Pillow You Dream On.” The song has been covered by many other recording artists over the years. The recording jump-started some semi-deep thoughts on the matter of dreams. While science can explain why we dream and psychologists can help us understand what we dream, the subject of dreams is still filled with mystery. I have always had a weird dream life. One of the earliest dreams I can remember was actually a nightmare. The dream occurred when I was about 3 ...

Don’t try this with a badger

In an online discussion regarding badgers, I found a post that seems meaningful at this moment in history: “Badgers are incredibly dangerous. I've been chased out of a cotton field by a pissed off one, and there isn't any way I'd want to mess with one intentionally. “One of my parent’s friends found a baby one (no mother in sight, not sure why it wasn't in a burrow) with its eyes still closed and took it home. They raised it and had it in their home with their dogs. “One day they were giving the two dogs and the badger a treat, all of them got one, but one dog ate his ...

Meet the Brills

One of my favorite activities, at almost any time of year, is to walk through Our Neighborhood. The trees have been especially eye-popping this year. I’ve heard the trees are particularly colorful when there has been a lack of rain. This year is certainly one of those. About two weeks ...

Imprisoned in a recliner and cold coffee

About a year ago, my wife, Julie, and I agreed that I would benefit from a power recliner. You know, the kind of recliner that makes it easier for an old guy to get out of the recliner. I’m a large guy and it took us a while to find a power recliner of sufficient size and power to lift this old boy up to a near standing position. We finally found such a chair, ordered it and waited for it to be delivered and set up. The delivery guys set it up, plugged it in and I was set. I have enjoyed the chair from the beginning. On a different (but related, trust me) subject, we are ...

I have struggled to find something funny to say

In these final fractious moments leading up to joy for some and bitterness for others, I have struggled to find something funny to say. Yeah, I know. I literally laid awake this morning trying to think of something that would make us all laugh. I came up empty. But then I remembered my best friend Cheryl, whose antics have been a huge portion of my life since I was 13. It was Cheryl who walked with me a half mile or so on a frozen gravel road when I told her never to hit the brakes when your car goes into a slide. Then showed her why. It was Cheryl, on her way to an important job ...