The Flying Typewriters
I graduated from Iowa State many, many years ago with an accidental minor in history. I say accidental because I did not set out to get a minor in history. My major was journalism and my minor was...
View ArticleJust wait until next year
This is the time of year when gardeners throw their hands in the air and say, “Just wait until next year.” Next year there will not be any stampeding weeds, evil Japanese beetles, misjudged plants that...
View Article1965 flashback
They say as you get older, time goes more quickly. This must be true because another week has flown by and I do not have a column written. Fortunately, several things conspired to give me more column...
View ArticleSurprise!
There have been very few knock-me-over-with-a-feather moments in my life. It’s not that I’m that hard to surprise, it’s just that my life isn’t normally very surprising. There have been a few – taking...
View ArticleSummer has left the building. Maybe.
September is the month when I wake up one morning and realize summer has gone and didn’t leave a forwarding address. Even on days that are still filled with warm sunshine, that sunshine doesn’t arrive...
View ArticleLiving history
Last week I got to tag along and take pictures as students from Lutheran Interparish School visited the Pioneer Heritage Museum in Marengo. The trip was part of a teaching unit on Iowa history and the...
View ArticleGardening rites of fall
This is the time of year I drive myself crazy, trying to decide what flowers to bring indoors over the winter. It’s generally a short trip. It wouldn’t be so hard if annual flowers didn’t look so good...
View ArticleCoonhunting is not an indoor sport
It would be incorrect to say we have a raccoon problem. We have a dog problem. The raccoon does not seem to think there is a problem. The dogs do. And since they express their feelings at 2 in the...
View ArticleAnother joyful stay-cation
I was on vacation last week. Vacations are wonderful things to think about and wonderful things to have, although to be honest, sometimes the thinking and the having are two very different things....
View ArticleOld editor, new tricks
I know for a fact you can teach an old dog new tricks because I’ve done it. I’d say it’s about 100 times easier than teaching an old person new tricks. No. Wait. That would be admitting I am old. Which...
View ArticleKeurig, 1; me, 0
For years, I resisted the allure of coffee. It didn’t take much. I loved the way coffee smelled but the reality of it fell short of expectation. I was a natural morning person anyway so didn’t rely on...
View ArticleThe war of the clocks
Did you get all your clocks set back last Saturday night? If you’re anything like me, you’re still finding odds and ends of timepieces that you missed – that spare wristwatch or the clock in the other...
View ArticleTechnically, it’s not winter until Dec. 21
Winter weather awareness day in Iowa was Nov. 5. Guess I missed it. That’s okay, a week later, on Nov. 11, it seemed kind of pointless to be thinking about winter weather while severe thunderstorm and...
View ArticleLate, but still thankful
I missed the boat last week on writing a Thanksgiving column. That’s okay. I’m thankful no matter what week it is. Without further adieu, there are some random things I am thankful for this year: The...
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