Well, I have had a week. And in this week I have learned that I stay calm and in charge during an emergency — as long as I am the one having said emergency. Let's go back to last Wednesday, 9 p.m. I start to itch. My eyes start to itch, my forehead, my arms, my neck, my back, everything. I ...
Halfway through November means only one thing, IT’S CHRISTMAS TIME! While I am excited, many around me and online seem to be waiting to decorate and holding off on their bit of holiday cheer. In the last week I erected our Christmas tree, spent way too much money on wall decor, and cracked ...
My wife had to get her driver's license renewed years ago. She’s got a pretty smile and when she smiles, her whole face smiles! So, at the driver’s license renewal counter, I urged her to smile for her picture. Obviously annoyed and obnoxiously impatient, the clerk insisted that she not ...
The election has come and gone and oh boy am I thankful. Now typically I like to write something entertaining or at the very least a bit of food for thought, but today I am going to complain and wish certain things good riddance. Goodbye endless ads! I will not miss the way you draw the fun ...
Editor’s note: This column was written several weeks ago after the sudden passing of STC football legend Mark Fetter. As many of you know, many of my articles are about growing up in Chelsea during the 50's & 60's. Chelsea was a thriving little town, (ok, maybe not actually thriving but ...
November 11 is Veterans Day!! Thank you, Veterans, for your service to our country! We salute you and honor you, for you are a hero in every sense of the word, and we are proud of you! We’ve all done things we’re not proud of. In college, I got caught up in a crowd protesting the Vietnam ...
Success during the 2023 pheasant season has Iowa hunters eagerly awaiting this year’s opening day and with bird population estimates similar to two years ago, hunters are expecting another great fall afield. Pheasant hunting has been an Iowa tradition spanning generations. This year, it ...
I have never understood people who get things done ahead of time. I’m sure as my editor Rob reads this, he’ll be thrilled to know my stance on working right up to a deadline. Outside of my work life I can assure the professors at my great institution, I will get my work done on time, and ...
My first short story acceptance letter hangs framed by the back door. My first 100 or so rejection letters hung for the longest time in the living room, under a comic strip of Snoopy writing a letter on his typewriter. The letter that Snoopy writes reads, "Gentlemen, Regarding the recent ...
Over the summer I found myself in quite the squirmish to get my hands on a copy of the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle. I admit I can be a bit particular with how I like things, routine is very important for me. A part of my morning routine is to pick up a copy of the paper from a local convenience ...