Before the phone call came about my friend Playford passing away, the most momentous occurrence of the day was when our Toro snow blower roared to life for the first time in two years. When there’s more than a foot of snow on the ground, the sound of one’s own snow blower starting up is
I saw my friend Playford on Wednesday, but he was having a very rough day, and it was really tough to see him struggling so just to breathe. I saw him again yesterday and was so grateful to see him doing much better. He seemed much more settled, although he also seemed a little bit
I was in a McDonald’s drive thru yesterday afternoon, wanting to buy a diet coke. When it was finally time for me to place my order, I was told that they were sorry but they were out of Coke and Diet Coke and Sprite. Through clenched teeth I barked out “Forget it!” and drove off
If you want to be richly informed about the world and the most pressing issues confronting it, and if you want those issues treated thoroughly and fairly, and if you want to be treated as a person of intelligence, you can do no better than National Public Radio. (Disclaimer: I have worked for an NPR
What better demonstration could there be of this blog’s wide-ranging eclecticism than the hairpin turn from Handel’s Messiah yesterday to garbage bags today? This mountain is the result of my energetic efforts to tidy up our basement, so the cable guy could go down there without fear of losing his lunch, his sanity, or both.
Yesterday began with barnyard animals - and it ended with the greatest masterwork in the history of choral music, George Frederick Handel’s Messiah. And anyone who gets to taste both of those experiences within the space of a single day is blessed indeed. This was the fourth annual Messiah Sing Along at First United Methodist
Sunday morning at Holy Communion was yet another “walk through Bethlehem,” our annual Sunday School Christmas program which is such an exciting, unpredictable and ultimately moving experience, year after year after year. I could write at great length about the pulling of heartstrings, but somehow it is the comedic moments which are standing out to
Yesterday was Kathy’s choir concert at Schulte Elementary School, and once again it was a smashing success - despite the fact that Kathy’s group is a bit smaller than it typically is. (The choir consists of fourth and fifth graders and they have to request to be part of it; it’s basically an extracurricular activity
This humble little corner of the blogosphere reached a surprising threshold last night - its 10,000th hit. I don’t know if I should be passing out cigars, hiring an agent, or cleaning out the garbage, but I do want to reiterate my thanks to Polly and Mark (Kathy’s sister and her husband) who gave this
When it comes to politics, I am a tepidly interested amateur observer at best - and whenever I have to do an interview about politics on the morning show, I find myself on slippery and unfamiliar terrain. (True, I can name all of the U.S. Presidents in order and the exact years that each of
