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Just clobber me

Five years ago in early June, Julie and I moved into a 55+ retirement community. Our relocation choice has proven to be a wise decision. We love our home, our neighbors, our neighborhood, our church and our proximity to shopping and doctors’ offices. Our retirement community is growing with new homes and new neighbors coming at a steady pace. While working in our yard a few days ago I saw a moving van in front of one of the new homes in our neighborhood and could see workers carrying things into the house. The vision brought back memories I’d rather forget. It was shortly after ...

Mid-summer weedline action

It’s been said so many times in the past relative to fishing: “In the summer, when you’re fishing and just want to get bit, the deep weedline is the place to be.” There’s a reason why that phrase has been said so many times in the past. The reason is, it’s true. The weedline is the ...

Not a fan of fairs

We’re in the midst of fair time in Iowa. The county fair schedule is nearly complete and the big Iowa State Fair is here. At the risk of being labeled a heretic, I confess I am one Iowan who is not enthralled with fairs. Oh, I admire the 4-H and FFA kids and their projects. I enjoy seeing the livestock and all the oddities of the fair along with the new products on display. Most of all, I enjoy visiting with the folks I meet at the fair. But I’m just not the fair enthusiast many Iowans are. My earliest fair memory is riding on a county fair merry-go-round as a small child. Then, ...

It isn’t bragging if it’s true

They say it isn’t bragging if it’s tre. The following is true so I’ll tell my story at the risk of appearing to brag. Nearly 20 years ago I made my entertainment debut on a stage in Branson. That’s right, this large fellow who can’t carry a tune, can’t dance and has no natural sense of rhythm performed on stage at a major theater in Branson, Missouri. Here’s what happened – My first wife, Cindy, and I enjoyed visiting Branson and made at least two trips a year to the Southern Missouri community. On this visit we had made a decision to go at the last minute and had ...

Switch gears for more fish

From mid-summer until ice returns to the lake, pond or river, if you want to catch more fish, you need to be fishing where the predator’s food lives. The type of food varies from body of water to body of water, but the concept remains: If you want to catch gamefish, you’ve got to be ...

Information of little importance or value

While I don’t enjoy playing most board games (bored games) I do enjoy playing Trivial Pursuit. That’s because I appreciate trivia; you know: “details, considerations or pieces of information of little importance or value.” That’s how the dictionary defines it. Sadly, my brain stores more of this kind of information than important stuff like how to make a million dollars or why dogs howl at the moon. The Internet has made harvesting trivia easier than ever and here a few of the things I have reaped recently — You know that frustrating feeling when you’re trying to ...