APRIL 20, 2019 – I am at my family’s “retreat” by Grindstone Lake in northwest Wisconsin. Through woods to the west, the next dwelling is hidden from sight. To the east lies undisturbed family-owned acreage acquired by my grandparents in 1939, when dirt was dirt cheap, and on which they built a cozy cabin—at the …
“THE HELL IF I KNOW . . .”
APRIL 19, 2019 – I remember well the day. It was early in my career at the venerable law firm with roots nearly as old as St. Paul itself. I’d been assigned to the litigation department, where I was learning in the shadow of old masters and in the wake of young go-getters. Many of …
THE NUN WITH A GUN
APRIL 18, 2019 – A friend, Judy H., told a true story about a nun with a gun. No matter what your position is on gun control, you’ll agree that within the story lies an amusing lesson or two. Judy, a liberal Catholic, had a friend who was a nun in an order that promoted …
IT’S ABOUT TIME!
APRIL 17, 2019 – A minute is always a minute, one equal to the next. But to my three-and-a half year-old granddaughter, a minute seems to last as long as 18 last for me. And if you’ve got low lung capacity, a minute is eternity if you’re holding your breath, especially while deep under water. …
VIVE NOTRE-DAME! VIVE L’HUMANITÉ!
APRIL 16, 2019 – I’m not a Catholic. I’m not even religious. I don’t live in Paris—or even in France or Europe. But because I am part of humanity, yesterday’s devastating fire crushed my heart. I learned of the tragedy while I was standing in a checkout line at Target a few blocks from my …
CONAKRY
APRIL 15, 2019 – Every Wednesday I have lunch with my friend Steve, a veritable polymath and successful entrepreneur. After a quick meal, we saunter through the skyways of downtown Minneapolis, often stopping at a donut shop where Steve buys a load of high-fat dough smothered with sugar. Starting about two months ago our route …
OPENING LINES
APRIL 14, 2019 – On this site you will find accounts, musings, anecdotes, diatribes, observations, and pontifications by a reasonably aware, Boomer-age, white guy whose curiosity and other mental faculties are still largely intact. That guy is me, or rather, “I.” My hope is to draw and hold attention by limiting each entry to fewer …