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Bridges for the river of time

Local Columns

My sentimental feelings for Christmas should be no surprise. I have openly (perhaps too openly at times) shared my Christmas memories in this space. Windshield time is thinking time and on the long drive home from our most recent Christmas get together I thought about, among many other things, how the observance of Christmas changes over the years. My earliest memories of Christmas involve lots of cousins, uncles and aunts and grandparents as well as my own parents and siblings. After some years the celebration of Christmas began to involve spouses and in-laws and before you know ...

Ice fishing lures in open water

Local Columns

It wasn’t that long ago that anglers thought of some lures as open water baits and other lures as ice fishing baits. Those anglers realized that jigs could be used under the ice as effectively as they could in open water, but also understood that crankbaits and spinnerbaits and such were ...

Washing the dust of the soul from everyday life

Local Columns

I was robbed. My children robbed me of one of the privileges of fatherhood. When I was a teenager listening to my little blue transistor radio, my father frequently demanded that I turn “that junk off.” Dad didn’t like Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis. I did. Back when my children were still teenagers, we drove from our home in Creston to Des Moines one evening for dinner and shopping. The kids brought along their cassette tapes, which were still in vogue at the time. We listened to classical music all the way to Des Moines and to big band and country music all the way home. Upon ...

What are you doing on New Year’s Eve?

Local Columns

The “returns and exchanges” line was moving slowly and my patience was running thin. A familiar voice from behind me asked, “What’s wrong, Moose, didn’t Omar the Tentmaker make your new Christmas jammies large enough?” I turned around to see my irascible buddy, Ebenezeer Griper, and his trademark sneer. “Actually, Eb, my new panty hose don’t fit.” Eb looked as though he was going to be ill. “You’ve got a sick sense of humor, you know that?” “Know it? I’m proud of it.” Eb shivered and changed the subject. “So I suppose you and the missus are planning a ...

Lessons learned from my father

Local Columns

Quite a few years back I came upon a small book that left a lasting impression. Entitled “A Father’s Book of Wisdom,” the book is a compilation of bits of wisdom gathered by H. Jackson Brown from several boxes of materials found in his late father’s closet. The book offered a great deal of good advice from a variety of sources including Brown’s father. I jotted down a few: In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins — not through strength but by perseverance. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing. Success is getting what you ...

Days of Brylcreem and narrow ties

Local Columns

When I was in the newspaper business I took pride in my photography. I could shoot traffic accident scenes, county fair animals, kids at play and football games; even decent mug shots. But I never mastered portraiture. Several of my friends and acquaintances are professional photographers and create excellent portraits. Four of them post some of their work on Facebook. This is the season for high school senior portraits and I am amazed at the quality and creativity of these photographers’ work. Numerous changes of wardrobe, multiple backgrounds, various poses; their photographs are ...