Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
SEPTEMBER 20, 2019 – In the splendid weather of late, each morning with coffee and The Times out on the back porch—and each evening there with lemonade and a good book—are blessings to be savored. Thus, you can imagine my chagrin when these simple porch pleasures were denied by offenses to the senses. Yesterday morning …
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019 – Yesterday I ran into “Charlie.” We used to work at the same bank, where he managed money, and I managed corporate trust accounts. That’s how we met. I still run into Charlie on a regular basis, and every time I get his take on the economy. He’s smart, reads voraciously, and …
AUGUST 29, 2019 – Yesterday we took our international house guests to . . . the Minnesota State Fair, the nation’s largest. I love to see the familiar with people for whom it is unfamiliar. Take gargantuan, snowplows, for example, on prominent display. Or hot-dish (Minnesotaspeak for “casserole”) on a stick . . . or …
AUGUST 28, 2019 – One has to be careful about generalizations. If based on unrepresentative data points, generalizations can lead to inaccurate extrapolations. Generalizing about a whole culture or nationality is particularly perilous. However, I’ve now read enough about the Portuguese and spent sufficient time among some to conclude confidently that they are a plucky …
AUGUST 27, 2019 – A few of us of the 7.2 billion who inhabit earth are emerging from an extraordinary experience in friendship. Our younger son and his wife wanted to host at our family’s northwoods retreat, a big celebration of their marriage earlier in New York City and more recently in Portugal. Their friends …
AUGUST 15, 2019 – As administrator of my uncle’s estate, I sold some stock—on July 12. Little did I know that I’d have to growl at various levels of “customer service representatives” and expend my entire repertoire of expletives before the check arrived would arrive–30 days later. My extreme frustration was almost matched by my curiosity …
AUGUST 14, 2019 – I try to be a nice person. Generally speaking, I think I am nice . . . most of the time . . . in public, at least . . . when I have to be. But then someone calls me out. Not to my face, not expressly, but by showing me “nice” …
AUGUST 8, 2019 – This story ought to lessen the despair among my fellow non-Republicans who, with every White House Tweet storm, feel a new wave of nauseum. Toward the end of my daily walk/hill climb, I hike down an alley that leads into our neighborhood. Below a short retaining wall on one side of the …
AUGUST 6, 2019 – The most reliable barometer of America’s future is the desire of people to come here to forge a better life. The stronger the desire, the more hope for our future. If the day comes, however, when ambitious people no longer view America as a beacon of opportunity, then know that we are …
JULY 30, 2019 – I’m a non-conformist, as are other members of the family. Example: I hate going to the dentist. I’m kidding. Seriously, I’d dreaded yesterday’s appointment, though it was a cleaning session with Michelle. No problem there. She’s a five-star pro. What I’d feared was what she’d do with me after I mentioned episodic …
JULY 17, 2019 – Last week while walking the neighborhood, I encountered a new neighbor. I stopped to chat. We soon discovered many common interests. In the course of talking, the neighbor told a “small world” story. Then I told two, sufficiently linked to count as one. They (it) went like this: For high school, …
JULY 11, 2019 – For years I got my haircuts at “Leo’s” several blocks from my office building. Leo was short, had well-combed white hair and talked without moving his lips. If you listened carefully, you could understand him. He was a nice guy. The other barber in the shop was an old Filipino guy. …