Category Archives: Uncategorized

Hello from Caribou Coffee in Sioux City, While the first couple of paragraphs of this were written a couple weeks ago, I think I will leave them largely unedited. I am actually sitting with my computer and doing a bit of work on a variety of topics this morning. I am in what has becomeContinue reading “For Whom the Bell Tolls”

Hello as we begin a new month, It is actually early morning, barely the first of February, and while I went to be rather early, a long day for Gavin and getting home late woke me. I was already awake an hour or so ago, so probably not really back to any deep sleep. NowContinue reading “More than . .”

Hello from the chiropractor’s office. Another week is finishing up, and it has been typical January with some single digit temperatures and windchills below zero. My coffee gurus at Burger King are wondering why I would come to such a place, but I have long asserted that 15 above in NEPA is worse than 10Continue reading “Overwhelmed, but Tenacious”

Happy Orthodox Christmas to my Orthodox friends, surrogate family, and others, It is a cold day once again here in North Central Iowa, but manageable because the wind, at least for the day, has abated. Today would also be the 111th birthday of my Grandmother Louise, so Happy Heavenly Birthday. I still love and missContinue reading “Valorizing Consumerism”

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?”

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”

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”

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”

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”