Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
DECEMBER 7, 2023 – Late last night after a pleasant day filled with numerous wonders, I watched 20 minutes worth of the fourth Republican Presidential Debate (so called). DeSantis and Ramaswamy managed to set my hair on fire, while two or three times Chris Christie made me cheer out loud when calling out his colleagues …
DECEMBER 6, 2023 – A regular feature of life at our house is our granddaughter’s drop-off on weekday mornings. Her dad—our older son—pulls into our driveway on his way to work, and out hops “Sassafras” or “Sweetie Pie,” depending on how late she got to bed the night before, though “Sweetie Pie” is the far …
DECEMBER 5, 2023 – Yesterday evening after scoring a sugar high from “doughnut-making” time with Grandma, our eight-year-old granddaughter was packed off for home. As Grandma herself then realized that her “supper” had featured . . . doughnuts with icing colored (by our granddaughter) in imitation of automotive fluid and over-adorned with “sprinkles.” If I …
DECEMBER 4, 2023 -I have a friend who invariably says, “No one is an A-student at everything,” when he encounters someone highly accomplished at one thing or another but is otherwise a klutz, rank amateur, or D-student. I thought about this the other day when a client of mine described a good customer who knew …
DECEMBER 3, 2023 – Yesterday evening we enjoyed a brief visit with our younger-son-Byron’s birth-mother, whom he—and the rest of our family—refer to as “K-Mom.” The “K” stands for “Korea,” which is where K-Mom lives and Byron was born. He first parted company with K-Mom immediately after delivery; the two were reunited for the first …
DECEMBER 2, 2023 – As a tree hugger I suppose I’ve always been a hypocrite when it came to Christmas trees: at Yuletide—with kid-like glee—I revel in the arboreal grave lot by the supermarket. As the aromatic Fraser and balsam firs, Scotch and white pine gasp their last into the December air, I’m filled with …
DECEMBER 2, 2023 – In my search for new direction (see yesterday’s post), this morning I checked Bloomberg.com—my go-to news source—glanced at a few headlines, then clicked on “AI.” Whenever I see “AI,” I still mistake the “I” for an “l,” as in “Hal,” without the “H.” Hal, of course, was the computer-gone-rogue aboard the …
NOVEMBER 30, 2023 – For readers who’ve followed this blog since June 1, I’ve managed daily postings of two memoirs; writing projects with ample material that simply required assembly. Each day I reviewed plans, gathered parts, and applied tools to the task. Never did I experience “writer’s block.” Today, however, I find myself without map …
NOVEMBER 29, 2023 REMEMBERANCE 505 RICE STREET, ANOKA, MN – APRIL 20, 2011 / BJÖRNHOLM, GRINDSTONE LAKE, NW WI – A WEEK LATER After a year of evenings and weekends clearing out the house, the property was ready for sale. Included was Björn’s house and kennel, overgrown with vegetation but otherwise undisturbed since Dad had …
NOVEMBER 28, 2023 “FULL CIRCLE” CLIFTON TOWNSHIP, WI – MAY 31, 1995 She was named Maia Grace after her great grandmother on Jenny’s side and her grandmother on Garrison’s side. Born on December 29, 1997 in New York City, Jenny and Garrison’s daughter made her Minnesota debut a couple of weeks into January. Her christening, …
NOVEMBER 27, 2023 APHC, LUNCH, DINNER, AND A WEDDING KENNEDY CENTER, WASHINGTON, D.C. – DECEMBER 10, 1994 / DOCKS OYSTER BAR, NYC – SOMETIME IN EARLY 1995/ST. MICHAEL’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH AND LA MIRABELLE, NYC – NOVEMBER 21, 1995 As the sell-out Kennedy Center crowd wound down its enthusiastic applause, the “ON THE AIR” sign on …
NOVEMBER 26, 2023 AT HOME WITH A PRAIRIE COMPANION ANOKA, MN – DECEMBER 10, 1994 On that early Saturday evening, Mother and Dad cut a classic Norman Rockwellian image as they sat in the living room, their ears and eyes focused on the stereo tuner. Along with the rest of the national audience of around …
NOVEMBER 25, 2023 “THE FINAL JOURNEY” ANOKA, MN – JULY 13, 1979/BJÖRNHOLM – GRINDSTONE LAKE, NW WI – JULY 14, 1979 Mother made the arrangements. It had always been that way—Dad making the decisions and Mother carrying them out. But when it came to the actual trip to Doc Andberg, Dad alone assumed the burden. …
NOVEMBER 24, 2023 “LAST LEGS” ANOKA, MN – JULY 9 – 10, 1979 After dinner Dad changed out of his office attire and with a reluctant gait headed back to the kennel. He carried the leash—out of habit, no longer as as a precaution. Ever since I’d trained Björn a dozen years before, he heeled …
NOVEMBER 23, 2023 “THE PORTRAIT” BJÖRNHOLM – AUGUST 1974 The years passed. As my sisters and I pursued our training and educations away from home, our parents continued their old routines, which for Mother included preparing Björn’s daily meal, and for Dad, taking Björn for long daily walks. Every August our parents . . . …
NOVEMBER 22, 2023 “BJÖRNHOLM” – GRINDSTONE LAKE, NW WISCONSIN – JANUARY 1, 1972 / AUGUST 5, 1972 My arms loaded with firewood, I trudged through the snow from the woodpiles and toward the back steps of the cabin. Millions of stars lit up the heavens above, and the bitter cold of the first day of …
NOVEMBER 21, 2023 “ONE SMALL STEP FOR A MAN . . .” ANOKA, MINNESOTA – JULY 1969 Dad exited the courthouse and walked to his Buick Special, parked in the adjoining lot. The blue sedan was his first ever brand new car, but it was a base model with no frills. He had negotiated the …
NOVEMBER 20, 2023 A MAN’S BEST FRIEND ANOKA, MINNESOTA – DECEMBER 1968 We piled into the house to the sound of dueling three-octave scales and arpeggios emanating from the two violins upstairs. “We” were Mother, Dad with my suitcase, Jenny, and I in my white shirt, tie and Sterling blazer showing through my open overcoat. …
NOVEMBER 19, 2023 “BEST IN CLASS” CRAFTSBURY COMMON, VERMONT – SEPTEMBER 1968 As any preppie of that era could tell you, some aspects of boarding school were to be cherished and some were to be hated. What I liked most about Sterling School were the surroundings—Vermont at its finest. The school sat atop a hill …
NOVEMBER 18, 2023 FAILING THE GRADE ANOKA, MN – SEPTEMBER 1967 – END OF AUGUST 1968 Dad loved history and politics, which is probably why from an early age, I loved both too. Dad subscribed to American Heritage magazine, and by the time I reached my teens, years of bi-monthly, hard-bound editions had accumulated on …
NOVEMBER 17, 2023 A “BEAR” IN THE WOODS . . . AND INSIDE THE CABIN GRINDSTONE LAKE, NW WISCONSIN – SEPTEMBER 9 – 10, 1967 The evening before, Dad had announced his intent to head up to the cabin first thing Saturday morning to check on Grandpa, who was still summering up there alone, and …
NOVEMBER 16, 2023 DOG TRAINING ANOKA, MN – AUGUST 16 – 31, 1967 The next morning, I hopped on my 10-speed and rode to the public library on the other side of town. I checked out several books on dog training and hauled them back to the house, where I plunged into my own sort …
NOVEMBER 15, 2023 A BARK IN THE DARK EARLY HOURS OF AUGUST 16, 1967 That night, after everyone in our household had fallen asleep, all was still except for crickets chirping away contentedly in the backyard. The windows in each of the bedrooms were wide open to allow for maximum cross-ventilation—and, as it turned out, …
NOVEMBER 14, 2023 MELTDOWN ANOKA, MN – AUGUST 15, 1967 AFTER ABOUT 5:15 P.M. Just then, Jenny was helping Mother set the table. The sound of two violins—one playing scales, the other Bach—emanated faintly from the floor above. Standing at the edge of the dining room, I heard Dad enter the house and his shoes …
NOVEMBER 13, 2023 NOT ACCORDING TO PLAN ANOKA, MN – AUGUST 15, 1967 AFTER ABOUT 2:30 P.M. UNTIL ABOUT 5:15 P.M. In retrospect, I have no idea why Mother thought she could leave a big, new, feisty, unruly dog unsupervised in the hands of three not-quite-nine-year-olds, but somehow she did. And I have no idea …