Those of us who grew up in the rural Midwest seven decades ago understand the world a little differently than our friends who were raised in the big city. As a country kid, for instance, I must have been nine or 10-years-old before I understood that those things dangling beneath a cow were ...
I promise that I won’t write too long this time. I didn’t have to place a hand on a bible and swear an oath, but I like to keep my word on things. Plus, today’s issue has a special guest in Bill Shea, my colleague in Fort Dodge. With Bill’s column addressing graduation (he's below), I ...
As I stroll through our neighborhood after a refreshing rain, the colors are amazing; blue sky, white clouds and the beautiful green grass. It seems so different from a couple of months ago, when our granddaughter came up for a day of sledding on “Hospital Hill.” That, too, was a day of ...
In the nearly 10 years since I retired, I have worked to peel away the shell that built up around my heart during nearly 50 years of dealing with the public. Many jobs require an element of treating nasty people with a smile and that can lead to a calloused heart. Thanks to a wife, who is a ...
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 ...