Tradition and Transformation: Fasnacht and Carnival

Hello on a Friday the 13th, There is so much happening in our world presently it is difficult to find a moment to breathe, or at least that is how it seems. Is my looking at all of this my version of doomscrolling or is it something more? I would like to believe that IContinue reading “Tradition and Transformation: Fasnacht and Carnival”

Only Remembering or Telling What We Want

Hello from yet another February morning, Whether or not it only seems I am looking back at life more frequently or it’s an actuality, I’m unsure, but turning 70 must have something to do with that particular action. And yet as I ponder my life and the events or experiences, the people and places thatContinue reading “Only Remembering or Telling What We Want”

A Scar that Never Fades

Good early morning, Into the post-Super Bowl, pre-Valentine’s Day, middle of the week-Winter Olympics mashup of February. It’s the 10th of February, and a day for me that remains as clearly etched into my memory as November 22, 1963, the 28th of January 1986, 911, or even March 4, 2020 (I actually noted in conversationContinue reading “A Scar that Never Fades”

From Kent State to South Minneapolis

Hello as January turns to February, As a history major, as a person who studied philosophy at all levels in higher education, as a person with both a background immersed in the liberal arts and theology, I find daily life as simultaneously predictable and no, something fascinating and yet that often creates apprehension. As myContinue reading “From Kent State to South Minneapolis”

If I Could Do It All Over

Hello from snowy February evening, As I ponder and worry about the world we have created, pensive as I wonder if we will survive the unending chaos that confronts me from all platforms we seem to incessantly absorb, I am reminded of that adage of what if I could go back in time, but knowContinue reading “If I Could Do It All Over”

A Vision for What is Possible

Hello at the beginning of another week, My appreciation for history is because of the amazing history teacher, Mr. Larry Flom. Additionally, he taught my civics class and American Government class. The importance of understanding the role of our government and how it works. He taught me both in terms of understanding and appreciating theContinue reading “A Vision for What is Possible”

Life Marches By . . .

Hello from a snowy town in Pennsylvania, Earlier in the week we experienced perhaps the most accumulated snow in a single storm here in Bloomsburg since I arrived in 2009. Only one other time did we have more than 12”. We have been forecasted to get something substantial, but seldom does it happen.i must sayContinue reading “Life Marches By . . .”

Hooped Earrings and Monster Trucks

Hello from breakfast at Perkins, The beginning of the year is like an episode of the show that was on television when I was small, titled The Twilight Zone. I know that comment is anachronistic, and it reminds me of the last few years I was teaching and things I had used anecdotally earlier inContinue reading “Hooped Earrings and Monster Trucks”

The Bee Cannot Convince the Fly

Hello from my little corner of Main Street, The holiday weekend has begun, and it’s been an eventful week, a charged one, and yes, a difficult one. Some part of the difficulty is undoubtedly self-inflicted because I spoke out passionately about my beliefs and my position about the ongoing federal crackdown in my former home,Continue reading “The Bee Cannot Convince the Fly”

Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes and More

Hello from the road, We (my sister-in-law, her husband and I) spent the night in Sandusky, OH, after a long day of driving from the Quad Cities, and on our way back to drop me off in Bloomsburg before they arrive in New Jersey. It was a busy two weeks-plus back in Iowa for theContinue reading “Minnesota: 10,000 Lakes and More”