Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
DECEMBER 28, 2021 – Yesterday, I’d just pulled some old journals off my shelf, when friend/neighbor, “K.O.” Paulson stopped by to check on me. I’ve posted about him before—a smart, thoroughly amusing, tough-talking, literary savant/retired honors English teacher, and former baseball/basketball coach, who scouts locally for the Twins. I gave K.O. the current, unvarnished low-down—to …
DECEMBER 8, 2021 – I have a story of our times. I also have a confession of sorts: I’m a FB user, though not in any addictive sort of way. I post pics of our six-year-old granddaughter, who, in her grandparents’ world, is a cutie pie. For those posts, I receive lots of “likes” and …
NOVEMBER 29, 2021 – Yesterday our son and daughter-in-law took us on an excursion between their hometown of Chester and down river to Essex, Connecticut. We took side routes and backroads for a closer look at this old part of New England. Our trip included breakfast at The Whistle Stop café, a cozy, local establishment …
NOVEMBER 28, 2021 – Under clear skies yesterday, winds blew hard. Inside the local coffee shop steam rose from morning java. Through the caffeinated haze I heard stories of power and corruption too delicate for public consumption. Told for my amusement, they revealed the extreme zeal that drives our world. In hearing about crazy behavior, …
NOVEMBER 23, 2021 – Yesterday my wife and I were among the millions of Thanksgiving week air-travelers. From MSP to BDL, we experienced no bumps, not even over the Great Lakes. After a smooth flight, the three-point landing couldn’t have been executed more cleanly. “Nice landing,” I said to the captain as we exited the …
NOVEMBER 21, 2021 – I’ve mentioned him before—our neighbor, “K.O.,” exactly my age, a retired high school honors English teacher, a Twins scout, and a former Republican. Yesterday he joined me on my walk to “Little Switzerland,” where we hiked hills for the equivalent of 41 flights of stairs. Every encounter with K.O. is filled …
NOVEMBER 4, 2021 – I’ve not been a big fan of big sports, though as a kid I was a major fan of major league baseball. In 1965, on my transistor radio I listened to nearly every Twins game and bought baseball cards every other day. By season’s end I knew as much about baseball …
OCTOBER 7, 2021 – Yesterday, I took . . . a business trip . . . to downtown Minneapolis, my first such venture in over 18 months. Before the lockdown last March, I’d worked in downtown Minneapolis for decades. Every day I’d dress up, look the part, and interact with lots of people in the …
OCTOBER 6, 2021 – Contemporary life has been kind to dogs and the industries that support them—from chow manufacturers to purveyors of leashes and strollers; yes, strollers. Recently, my youngest sister saw a dog owner in Central Park pushing two hounds (all dolled up) in a stroller. In Minnesota I haven’t yet seen people pushing …
OCTOBER 1, 2021 – If I could magically, instantly acquire 20,000 hours of flying time, I’d consider getting my pilot’s lesson. Otherwise, at my age I wouldn’t trust my faculties in the cockpit of an airplane any more than I’d trust them astride a Harley. Thus, I must be satisfied as a ground-bound spectator, straining …
SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 – If I’m short of material, all I need to do is hike to the end of our block and ring the Paulson’s doorbell. Invariably, Kent Paulson, retired honors English teacher at Roseville High School, has something pithy to say. He’s never without a cutting comment, an insightful observation, or an amusing …
SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 – On Labor Day I labored on a cabin project. Just as a president would do before giving the green light to a dicey military operation, I gathered intelligence and assembled a 10-point checklist, the last item being, “Wing it.” But as in evacuation after losing a war, s _ _ _ …
AUGUT 25, 2021 – Yesterday, while sitting on the porch, working away on my laptop, I espied our neighbor Kent walking past in the alley. Anticipating a profitable diversion from work, I called out to our local curmudgeon. He’s a retired English teacher who’s devoured nearly every piece of American fiction worth reading. He’s also …
AUGUST 23, 2021 – I first cordoned off the crime scene. I accomplished this figuratively, visualizing a “NO GO” zone (except for myself) within a 20-foot radius of the base of the sign. Next, I examined the sign itself for clues. Except for the popped rivets and 90-degree bend in the stake, the sign itself …
JULY 18, 2021 – Deer are a danger. They feast on gardens and new pine shoots, and they’re all too eager to ambush motorists traveling on country roads. Deer total cars, and we see plenty of deer totaled by cars when we drive to the Red Cabin in northwest Wisconsin. One-mile stretch of highway is …
JULY 3, 2021 – My 05/15/21 post was entitled, “The Happiest Day in (This) Guy’s Life”—the day our new boat lift was relocated so that our new boat would float on and off the bunks. Now let me tell you about the saddest day in (this) guy’s life: the day before the biggest weekend of …
JUNE 24,2021 – (Cont.) “Once you pay,” Steve said, “go directly to DPS (department of public safety) four blocks away, and for 20 bucks, your son can get his license re-instated immediately.” I wondered what Steve knew about the bloody history of the Committee of Public Safety during the French Revolution. Instead, I thanked Steve—too …
JUNE 9, 2021 – Barking neighborhood dogs used to annoy me. Recently, however, I quit barking—to avoid another manifestation of “old.” A cranky geezer is as appealing as “grampaw” clearing extra phlegm in the morning. Time to act 10 years younger than I am. This attitude-adjustment renders me almost amiable. Got a rescue dog that …
JUNE 3, 2021 – When a client called me this morning, he asked, “Are you up on Walden Pond?” He knows of my attachment to the wilds of northern Wisconsin. “As a matter of fact . . .” I said. I’m here seeking “the cure” for the obstinate pain I described in Tuesday’s post. Coincidentally, …
MAY 23, 2021 – Over the past two days I’ve enjoyed two scintillating conversations with two neighbors. I’m amazed that it took so long to open these nearby treasure chests of knowledge, insight, and inspiration. The first encounter occurred two doors down our alley. Mike was cleaning the inside of his car as I walked …
MAY 7, 2021 – Before heading for the Red Cabin yesterday, I decided to give the yard a quick haircut. As I pushed the mower to the front, a lawn service guy hired by the next-door neighbors approached along the boundary. I greeted him, and he responded in kind. After a couple of rows of …
JULY 23, 2020 – I’m allergic to cats, but that didn’t stop my family from taking in a feral, three-week-old (so said the vet) kitten in distress our young boys found under the porch at the Red Cabin in October 1999. They named it “Koosh,” because it looked like an all-gray “kooshball.” It developed the …
JULY 17, 2020 – Recently, on my evening walk I heard an outdoor concert by a dozen student . . .VIOLISTS! Led by their indomitable instructor, Elizabeth Cregan, these high school kids put out some great sound for an attentive, appreciative neighborhood audience. I’d met Ms. Cregan and her husband during the week following the …
JULY 4, 2020 – (Cont.) “Who? I think I don’t know you,” he said. However much my chum might’ve changed physically, he wouldn’t have developed a thick accent. I showed him the photograph and explained why I’d thought he was Dick V. By this time, the woman had approached. By the shape of her mouth …
DECEMBER 3, 2019 – Yesterday I took two Lyft rides—from my office to the dentist and back. The first driver was originally Haitian About 40, he’d been in America (mostly NYC) for 25 years. He’d come to Minnesota to pursue a PhD in “international business.” He and some fellow scholars plan to form a consulting …