Two Gents' Worth
April 29, 2025
For a ten-year old boy growing up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, waiting for the Fourth of July was almost as painful as waiting for Christmas Day. I can still feel the rivers of sweat rolling down my back, days before the Fourth, as I surreptitiously crept into our darkened garage and searched until I found…
Read More about Fourth of July #244
The Fourth of July dawned bright and beautiful in our lovely old university town of Ames, Iowa, this morning. And then nothing went as it should have. The street in front of City Hall was empty this morning. Hundreds of people — if not thousands — did not line up at 8:30, as they usually…
Read More about Our Dispirited Fourth
Those lazy, hazy — and, especially this summer, crazy — days of summer have come to the Heartland again. That means — as it always has — hot, humid days and fireflies at night. But this summer is different — oh, so different — because of the coronavirus. Yes, flowers still bloom at Bandshell…
Read More about This Heartland Summer
Here we are once again, back in Ames, Iowa — the great Heart of the American Heartland. Ames is the home of Iowa State University, but this fine old town also boasts a fine old-fashioned downtown Main Street, majestic churches and many historic homes, some dating back to the 1860’s. Yes, we’re finally here, after…
Read More about Back in the Heartland
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-OutThese past few weeks have been doozies, all right. Have you been anxious? Have you been scared? Have you been frustrated? Same here. And we’re not alone. It’s been going around – spread like wildfire by the deadly coronavirus that’s roared through our nation and our world. We were all transported into new territory –…
Read More about Weeks Like No OtherWow. That was fast. It was only 10 days ago when Sharon and I boarded a plane in San Luis Obispo for a flight to Dallas, where we got on board another jet that whisked us to Disney World in Orlando. The idea was to celebrate — if that’s the appropriate word when it comes…
Read More about Older, in a Whole New WorldNot 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