I was a weird kid growing up. In small town Iowa, I was “the” weird kid. I was a walking paradox of sorts. I hung on to my fandom of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, even when the craze had long died down, as appeal shifted to the likes of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Over ...
Mother’s Day is here, almost. Nests are springing up in the trees across the street and half the squirrels are looking a bit plump around the midsection. It feels so good to be back in our neighborhood. I spent the past week in a car, traveling from Naples, Florida to Webster City. My ...
Do you remember the first time you told a joke and no one laughed? I don’t. It’s happened to me so many times, I can’t remember the first time. I grew up in a home with lots of jokes, teasing and laughter. Our mother’s family was full of jokesters and Mom kept us laughing, too. ...
This week has been a blur. It’s been an out of body experience where I’ve felt like being on autopilot, but not quite the near death experience with a bright light at the end of the tunnel. It’s kind of like, it’s been “once I get home, I’m faceplanting a pillow.” I ...
Historically, the end of April marks the beginning of “campaign season” for militaries during times of war… not a particularly enlightening subject for a weekly newspaper column (please bear with me). In our time, in our place, in Our Neighborhood, it follows a similar theme. The ...
As I grow older, I am becoming a homebody. I like my bed, my bathroom and my refrigerator! However, I can still be coaxed to get out of town occasionally. So, Julie and I took off for Branson, Missouri, on a recent Wednesday. I am a 30-year veteran of Branson experiences and introduced ...
