Two Gents' Worth
February 28, 2025
I figure that with all the bad news that’s been going on “out there” these past weeks and months – and, yes, there’s been a ton of it – you’d really like to read something “uplifting” on this page. Something that maybe – just maybe – makes you smile, if only for a minute or…
Read More about Trippin’ Back “Home”On this Memorial Day weekend, we, as a nation, obviously — and in my view, unfortunately — have decided that “enough is enough,” when it comes to trying to contain the coronavirus outbreak. We have decided that we no longer want to stay inside. We no longer desire to wear masks. We are salivating at…
Read More about Holiday Break-OutNot that it matters, but I’m not terribly happy to have the month of March come marching in. You see, that particular month has a particular day that always ages me when I see it. It’s my birthday. And this one is a biggie, moving me into yet another category of “old.” Whoo, boy. Don’t…
Read More about That 70’s Thing
I want to talk about someone we all know – a guy by the name of Disney. When I was a kid growing up in the San Joaquin Valley – and, yes, that was a long, long time ago – I loved Walt Disney. He was always on TV, always in black-and-white – and he…
Read More about Walt’s Wonderful World
Getting closer and closer to Christmas, and the chilly days and deep-freeze nights that come with it. We come to Christmas with a merry spirit, and we always have. Man and boy, boy and man, my family tried very hard to have Christmas trees. In Fresno, where I grew up, we had precious little money….
Read More about The Spirit of Christmas
This past Labor Day weekend, we took a brief time-out from our Summer of Love in the Heart of the Great American Heartland to visit Bradley and Nicole in their new home in our nation’s capital. They’re spending at least the next year there while Bradley works in the office of our favorite California congressman,…
Read More about Side Trip to D.C.
As just about everyone around this part of the Midwest will tell you, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines is a one-of-its-kind event. It’s been held for nearly 145 years, and these days, about one million Iowans attend each year. If that figure isn’t impressive enough, consider this: The state of Iowa’s population is…
Read More about Iowa’s State Fair
Summertime, summertime, here in the Midwest. Hot. Humid. The weather bureau issued all kinds of excessive-heat warnings. Don’t stay in the sun long. Drink plenty of water. And don’t forget your pets — especially the poor critters some dumb folks like to lock inside cars that are parked in the sun. This heatwave has gone…
Read More about Those Lazy, Hazy…We have returned, one more time, to this great Heart of the American Heartland — Ames, Iowa. This time, our trek took five days, during which we traveled 2032 miles in mostly good spirits through eight states, had lunch with a former boss who happens to be the best one I ever worked for, ate…
Read More about The Midwest, AgainChevrolet summers, Dairy Queen nights. I can’t think of a better way to describe those glorious days and nights when I was growing up in the Valley – days and nights I’d give anything to be able to re-live. My guess is that you’re like me – that we look back on those “salad days”…
Read More about Summertime Memories