Original anecdotes, commentary, rumination, and occasional pontification.
MAY 3, 2024 – Among my favorite children’s books when our sons were young were the Frog and Toad stories by Arnold Lobel. I enjoyed the illustrations, the writing, and the story lines. The books experienced a revival in our home when our eight-year-old granddaughter reached reading age. They are certain to be enjoyed as …
MARCH 25, 2024 – All of us have days of gray, colored that way by one thing or another in our lives; sometimes by a whole palette of troubles that cloud out light and warmth. Today was such a day for me and many others who in these parts battled seasonal sickness compounded by ugly …
MAY 9, 2023 – Late this month, Brown University will confer honorary doctorate degrees on six Americans of distinction. Among them will be the inimitable Ruth Oppenheim. I first met Ruth during college. Her son, Jeff, a close friend of mine, had invited me to stay with the family in Barrington, Rhode Island over Thanksgiving …
MAY 5, 2023 – Today we were among the honored guests at a most resplendent affair. Food and drink were of the finest quality; the music—of Latin temperament—was well chosen and masterfully rendered; the attendees were neither too few nor too numerous to provide a steady flow of scintillating conversation; and the whole celebration was …
APRIL 21, 2023 – The problem with being in the same boat as everyone else, is you can’t complain. So much as a grunt marks you as a grump, and who wants to be rowing against that reputation? You have only two options: howling in private or bailing out of the boat. If you howl …
APRIL 19, 2023 – I remember the moment. It occurred as I left Mr. Trepte’s classroom at the end of a session in which he’d handed back exam papers. I’d studied hard for the math test, since it counted significantly toward the final grade, and my efforts were handsomely rewarded. Feeling good about how this …
APRIL 14, 2023 – The world is a beautiful place because it’s full of beautiful people, many of whom I encountered today. They provided me with befitting material to mark the fourth anniversary of this daily blog. The stream of encounters began with a call this morning from my good friend, Linda Hoeschler, whose late …
APRIL 13, 2023 – Yesterday afternoon after I brought Illiana home from school, she grabbed her scooter, donned her helmet and celebrated freedom by zooming full-tilt down the sidewalk. Inspired by her carefree spirit, I followed, luxuriating in the hot zephyr as it overwhelmed the last vestiges of winter. She was headed for the playground …
APRIL 12, 2023 – Today the Shelby County (think Memphis, TN) Commission unanimously reappointed Justin Pearson to the state house of representatives. Few people outside Shelby County had heard of Mr. Pearson before the 28-year-old Black man, along with another young Black man and fellow representative, Justin Jones, had been expelled from the legislative body. …
APRIL 11, 2023 – On this part of the planet, in many years we often skip spring and go directly from winter to summer. That seems to be the case this year. Just a week ago last Saturday, we woke up to another seven inches of snow on what was already a record amount of …
APRIL 8, 2023 – The snow was already soft by the time I got underway with one load of gear for the slog to the car parked a mile away. From there, the paved roads were mostly clear, but already, the twisting, undulating back roads were so checkered with potholes, I drove as if I …
APRIL 6, 2023 – (Cont.) After a late lunch, Illiana repaired to her “artist’s corner” of our house, where her old-fashioned school desk is surrounded by drawing materials, well organized by her grandmother. She designed a thank-you card out of writing and construction paper, which Beth helped glue together. The artwork on the cover and …
APRIL 5, 2023 – (Cont.) As the directors of food and hunt prize procurements helped Fred pack up the surpluses, the director of communications, pulled me aside. I’d noticed her activity in the thick of the extravaganza but hadn’t had a chance to greet her. “Hi, Eric,” she said. “You might not remember me, but …
APRIL 4, 2023 – (Cont.) Since the big Easter Egg Hunt was scheduled for late Saturday morning, Illiana stayed overnight with us Friday, though she and her parents live only six miles away. As fortune would have it, however, a major March-end lion roared across our region Friday evening, leaving in its angry wake a …
APRIL 3, 2023 – (Cont.) Just inside the door I removed my shoes. After taking my jacket, Fred led me from the entryway, through the nicely appointed living room and into the dining room. Colorful Easter egg decorations hung from the broad arched entryway into the dining area. The large dining room table was so …
APRIL 2, 2023 – (Cont.) I’d always been curious how in the world or anywhere else you could drive a tank faster than one mile an hour without crashing into everything in sight—or rather not in sight, because absent high-tech cameras, how would you see more than 1% of your surroundings through the narrow viewing …
APRIL 1, 2023 – My grandpa Nilsson, a violinist, launched my three sisters on their own careers as violinists. He and they were in perfect synch: he was a serious teacher, and they were serious students. In my case, he practically stood on his head trying first to get me to practice, and when that …
MARCH 24, 2023 – Today in these parts, the spring melt was final on, full force. The mercury soared well into the 40sF under a sky monopolized by the sun. As I skate-skied up and down the Bernese Oberland of “Little Switzerland”—my 109th day of the season—I reveled in ideal “spring skiing” conditions. These occur …
MARCH 17, 2023 – As a “glass half full” individual, I greeted favorably this morning’s blinding sunshine off the heavy blanket of snow that still covers the landscape in these parts. I chose to ignore the temperature (a high of 17F for the day) and the brisk, northwest winds, gusting up to 30 mph. At …
MARCH 9, 2023 – At the outset of last year’s personally notable medical expedition, I experienced unusual anxiety. Physically, I was feeling, well, not so well. The worst occurred when my side of the earth was turned away from our local star, and the worst of the worst was when I climbed into bed each …
JANUARY 17, 2023 – Today I had my monthly follow-up appointment with Dr. Kolla, followed by an encounter with the “infusion center,” where nurse Patty administered two butt shots plus a rabies injection. In more professional lingo, the butt shots were doses of csxzysesisterkappalambdaiotazonifer and xylicriminelamndanumuomicronpiclomyaquavazine, otherwise known as mono-clonal antibodies packaged under the brand …
JANUARY 15, 2023 – Today the weather gods smiled, and gave a taste of spring-skiing. As I skated down the ski track, up and down dale, I noticed a number of weekenders on the course—friends on a lark; parents with young kids; older folks, gliding along slowly but surely. Citizen racers were few. Doubtless they …
JANUARY 1, 2023 – Happy New Year cheers to all my readers! May 2023 bring you good health and lots of happiness. And may it bring a measure of peace and prosperity to the world. Yesterday, I celebrated the end of an eventful year by skiing for an hour on the American Birkebeiner Trail, the …
DECEMBER 30, 2022 – (Cont.) Just as the train pulled to a stop at the closest station, my tires gripped, shooting my “bubble car” past the tracks and fishtailing across the street in front of oncoming traffic. Ahead lay the clinic with a “Covid Vaccinations Here” sign sticking out of a snowbank near the entrance. …
DECEMBER 28, 2022 – (Cont.) I think of people as candles, each bearing a flame. Most people illuminate their immediate surroundings, then fade and disappear; some people light up the world before their flames flicker, then die. A few burn most powerfully after the wax and wick are long gone. Mozart is an example of …