Hello from the restaurant booth on a very cold Saturday, The temperature is still in single digits and has risen to 6, but fortunately there is little wind. Otherwise it would be beyond brutal. Thursday was productive and yesterday was the opposite. I spent the better part of the day merely trying to manage theContinue reading “Why do I write?”
Author Archives: thewritingprofessor55
Managing Expectations
Hello from Menomonie, Over the last two days I had the opportunity to reconnect with a family who has blessed my life since I taught here two decades ago. When I arrived in this Western Wisconsin town, I was completing a dissertation, unexpectedly hired after a one-and-done tenure-track process, and had minimal understanding of whatContinue reading “Managing Expectations”
Caring is not Seasonal
Hello from my new breakfast spot, While there is no infamous group of coffee gurus here, there are regulars as with any small town diner. While this place is much more akin to @thenewbloomsburgdiner than Burger King and 12 miles away, it has some really thoughtful mini-breakfasts. The photo above is two of the minisContinue reading “Caring is not Seasonal”
A Decade after the Tornado
Hello from Mallard, In the last couple days, while driving to Pocahontas for appointments or to Emmetsburg for errands the memories of a decade ago, to the day, came flooding back. I had driven back to Menomonie from the fall semester teaching in Bloomsburg. I needed to take Lydia to a couple doctors’ appointments, andContinue reading “A Decade after the Tornado”
Anyone can be Average
Hello from the couch on an icy December evening, It is before 6:00 p.m., and it’s been dark for an hour or more. We are rapidly approaching the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, but the cold and dark will be here for some time, and it is easyContinue reading “Anyone can be Average”
Best of Intentions
Hello from the Family Restaurant, It is almost a month since I began my trek back to Iowa with my loaded shuttle and the bug in tow. As I look at the process, there is progress on a number of fronts, but what one sees might belie the actual achievements. Likewise, settling in, managing dailyContinue reading “Best of Intentions”
Clouded Memories
Hello from a driving break, I am a creature of habit, of that there is little room for doubt. Therefore, I am in a Starbucks on Duff Avenue in Ames, Iowa, on my way over the hills, with little or no woods, and to the relatives’ house we go. As noted by a seminary classmateContinue reading “Clouded Memories”
More than a Prodigal
Hello from the farm, The reality of typing that is setting in as I look out the windows of my cousin’s farm house. I see harvested fields as far as the eye can see. Gone are the mountains and the topography of the Poconos, where I have spent (in total) about a third of myContinue reading “More than a Prodigal”
Carpe Diem and a Field of Dreams
Hello from the farm, After a number of missed departure dates, managing hurricanes, freight companies, and other unexpected events, I have made it to Mallard, IA. and my dear cousin’s and husband’s farm. It is not my first time here, as they have been gracious to host me before, but this time is for anContinue reading “Carpe Diem and a Field of Dreams”
When its All Counted
Hello from a little restaurant in Danville (PB&J), We are less than 24 hours from the official opening of election day here in the country, and if I were to say it has been a national cycle like no other, most would say that is an understatement. Like many Americans, I cast an early Mail-inContinue reading “When its All Counted”
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