Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
NOVEMBER 28, 2025 – In brief residence in the home of our two-year-old grandson, I’m impressed by the library of children’s books that surround him. More to the point, I’m envious: half the books are in French and half are in English, which reflects his bilingual language development. The kid’s parents, as well has his …
NOVEMBER 27, 2025 – Irrespective of its origins, Thanksgiving Day as our National Day of Thanks is a laudable concept. I like the idea that however polarized we’ve become, we’re still united in taking the day off to devour our Butterball turkeys and count our blessings. Many in our country struggle, of course, but the …
NOVEMBER 26, 2025 – Weeks in advance we’d been informed that Tuesday would be “Grandparents Day” at our two-year-old grandson’s school. I envisioned joining a cast of thousands for a royal tour, a review of recent art projects, and a full raft of presentations and demonstrations greeted by a robust round of applause, followed by …
NOVEMBER 25, 2025 – As we settle in for Thanksgiving week at our son/daughter-in-law’s home, I’m reminded how household stuff accumulates—yard and garden tools and machinery in the garage; furniture and furnishings in every room; toys galore—big, small, and everything in between—in the “bonus room”-turned-toddler’s dreamland of toys; closets—don’t open the doors or you won’t …
NOVEMBER 24, 2025 – Yesterday, while I was taking full advantage of the mild Minnesota weather and stringing Christmas lights around our shrubs out front, our neighbors at the end of the block, Joan and Kent, strolled by with dogs in tow. We exchanged greetings, and the people called a mutual time-out for “catch-up” conversation, …
NOVEMBER 23, 2025 – I’m no Latinist, but in college I learned enough to read Virgil’s most famous poem—Aeneid—in the original, albeit with a dictionary close at hand. Sadly, I’ve lost a lot of my Latin, but I haven’t lost my irritation when I encounter speech or writing that fails to distinguish between the singular …
NOVEMBER 22, 2025 – Over the seasons throughout the years I’ve noticed that our house operates as an intricate seasonal sundial. In spring, for example, early morning sunlight peeks through the window panes of my wife’s office—forcing me off the east end of the sofa in the adjoining room, where I like to write at …
NOVEMBER 21, 2025 – We who don’t live and breathe technology (i.e. We who are above a certain age, which in the present context is best left unspecified) are quick to scorn it. “Too many people have replaced eye contact with the screen-stare,” we say with lament. Yet, this same element of modern life has …
NOVEMBER 20, 2025 – The man looked about my age, maybe older, since he was engaged in a way that I would ascribe to someone who was fully retired and, well, definitely older than I am. He was wearing headphones and waders with a skirt of pouches and moving slowly in waters just beyond the …
NOVEMBER 19, 2025 – Today I raced to the last page of, November 1942 – An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II by the Swedish historian and journalist, Peter Englund. As the last words reverberated inside my head, I closed the book, rose out of my chair, and peered out the …
NOVEMBER 18 – For Christmas years ago my wife gave me an electronic key finder. It was her response to my periodic insanity triggered by a desperate search for lost keys. The key finder worked fine . . . until I couldn’t find the finder. Everyone loses or misplaces one thing or another at one …
NOVEMBER 17, 2025 – Over the weekend, Trump reversed his intense effort to prevent, derail, and deflect release of the now infamous Epstein Files for Congressional scrutiny. Now, he says by his latest imperial fiat, he wants House Republicans to vote for the discharge petition that seeks disclosure of the files by the DOJ. Hmmm. …
NOVEMBER 16, 2025 – This morning today’s blog post subject occurred to me, all ready to roll: “Lost and Found.” Keen on efficiency, I figured I’d get an early start on it while waiting for the mercury to edge its way to 35F before I plunged back into my weekend outdoor project (see yesterday’s post, …
NOVEMBER 15, 2025 – As the rest of the world turned in earnest, I worked (earnestly) in my own little corner of it, continuing the annual fall project I started yesterday: installing protective fences around hemlock saplings and stapling paper “bud caps” on the terminal shoots of the young white pine, all in the woods …
NOVEMBER 14, 2025 – This morning I left town a full two hours later than I’d intended. As I told Beth when she asked what my hold-up was, I said, “Clients come first.” Well, most of the time, anyway. After dispensing with biz, I backed out of the driveway and stomped on the gas. Today’s …
NOVEMBER 13, 2025 – This afternoon on my return from hill climbs in “Little Switzerland,” I espied my hearty friend and neighbor Fred corralling leaves in his well-attended yard of his well-appointed house. (When Beth and I were newbies to the neighborhood nearly 40 years ago, people referred to Fred and his late wife Carol’s …
NOVEMBER 12, 2025 – When I was a kid, Dad bought a fancy-shmancy lawn sweeper to replace the rake that he’d used every previous fall. It was from Sears Roebuck, which meant he had to assemble it himself. I remember watching him pull the parts out of a large cardboard carton labeled, “Craftsman” and assemble …
NOVEMBER 11, 2025 – China. The armchair tour continues, but I must confess that the more familiar I become with historic names, dynasties, and big sweeping epochs, the more of a stranger I feel as I wander up and down, back and forth inside that country. The view from the window of my figurative tour …
NOVEMBER 10, 2025 – Yesterday I partook in one of life’s great pleasures—in the pleasant company of our 10-year old granddaughter, attending a concert of masterpieces performed by world class musicians. It was somewhat of a last-minute operation. One of my sisters had asked me Thursday if I’d be interested in joining her and our …
NOVEMBER 9, 2025 – During our recent sojourn in San Francisco, our tour-guide-cousins gave us the back story of the pleasant Embarcadero Promenade along the bayside waterfront. In living memory it had been the site of the Embarcadero Freeway, a “permanent” assault on the sensibilities of all decent folk who lived in its vicinity. As …
NOVEMBER 8, 2025 – Today’s issue of The Times featured a book review and an article that caught my attention. The rest was jetsam, not because it wasn’t informative or useful in divining the state and direction of our country, but because I had places to visit, people to meet, things to do. The book …
NOVEMBER 7, 2025 – Just when I was searching for a topic for today’s post, one was handed to me on a proverbial silver platter, nicely polished, served by a butler in full livery. The delicacy on the platter can be best described by way of a simple mini-play with the working title, Actually Ashley. …
NOVEMBER 6, 2025 – Today Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that beginning Friday, commercial flights in the U.S. will be reduced by 5,000 a day each day until 10% of pre-reduction volume is achieved. The ultimate impetus for this action is the government shutdown. As I watched the 10-second clip of Mr. Duffy delivering his …
NOVEMBER 5, 2025 – If you ask what I think about how we govern ourselves in this country, I could easily talk your ears off. You might say I’ve got some ideas on the subject. Governance per se is different from substantive public policy, however, but given how policy is formulated and implemented, governance and …
NOVEMBER 4, 2025 – Our day’s end stop Monday was at the Picchetti Winery in the rustic heights above Cupertino. The product of this +140-year-old establishment—now consisting of 9,000 cases of wine a year—is sold only through wine clubs across the country. Our tour guides, Russ and Kerri, have been members for decades and have …