The More Things Change…

The More Things Change…

“Washington, D.C. is a city filled with people who believe they are important.” – David Brinkley

In the late 1960’s, each weekday at 5:30 pm, my dad would pull his ’52 Chevy truck into the driveway. Through the open screen door, the engine’s six cylinders would fall silent; followed by the sound of him closing the truck’s solid door. You could set your watch by it.

My younger sister and I would scream, “Daddy!”

Swinging the screen door open, we would barrel down ...

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Life, Politics

Charging The Future

Charging The Future

I’ve witnessed some pretty amazing technological advancements in my lifetime. But just when I think I’ve seen it all, I see something new that’s mind-boggling.

Recently, as my wife and I watched YouTube on our television, which in and of itself is pretty mind boggling, we came across a video about a proposed system whereby neighborhoods would be designed so that the streets would include wireless charging stations for electric cars.

When a car is finished charging, it ...

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Cars, Solar

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Camping Can Get Tents

Camping Can Get Tents

Man spent thousands of years in the wilderness, scrounging for food, dodging danger and searching for a safe precursor to toilet paper. After finally conquering agriculture, domesticating many animals, and inventing Charmin, Americans now spend millions each year to go back into the woods.

In movies and on TV, camping is presented as being utopia. Even medication ads for older, less functional men seem to indicate that a pill and a pup tent are all a happy couple needs.

But the truth ...

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Family, Life

Seeing Double

Seeing Double

My mom is an identical twin. My mom’s mom was also an identical twin.

There were at least two other sets of twins in my family when I was growing up; one identical, the other fraternal. So, growing up around people who looked exactly like each other seemed perfectly normal to me.

However, the rest of the world seems mesmerized by this fairly common gift from nature.

Wikipedia indicates that out of every 1,000 births in America, about 33 are twins.

The most common ...

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Family, Home

Churning Makes The World A Butter Place

Churning Makes The World A Butter Place

This week, for the first time in my life, I made my own butter.

But to get to the beginning of this tasty story, we have to go back a few years.

In 2013, I was sitting in the waiting room at my sleep doctor’s office when I became tired of the talking heads on the news network arguing with each other, so I struck up a conversation with an older gentleman and his wife. Turns out, they were also sick of ...

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art, Family, Farming, Food, Home, Home Cooking, Life

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Comics Were Super, Man

Comics Were Super, Man

Comic books were a big part of my childhood.

As a preteen, my comic books went virtually everywhere with me. I say virtually, because they frowned upon them in church. That was about the only place I didn’t take them.

My favorites were the Marvel Comics. Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America, The Incredible X-Men and others, took me into a world that I loved. In my comics, the bad guys tried, but the good guys always ...

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Family, Home, Life, Toys

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Tastee Freez and A&W Root Beer

Tastee Freez and A&W Root Beer

I miss Tastee Freez and A&W Root Beer stands.

My earliest recollection of hamburgers were ground beef patties that my mom fried in a cast iron skillet and placed between two pieces of white bread that were coated in Miracle Whip.

I’m sure that the burgers were fried in bacon drippings that had been saved from breakfast, because virtually everything we ate back then was fried in bacon drippings that had been saved from breakfast.

As I got older, and my parents felt ...

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Family, Food, Life, Restaurants

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Valentine’s Day Should Be Every Day

Valentine’s Day Should Be Every Day

Valentine’s Day is almost here. Again.

According to history.com, approximately 150 million Valentine’s Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine’s Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

There are a number of theories as to the origin of this now-commercialized holiday, but most have to do with the birth or death of a sainted fellow named Valentine. Leave it to American commerce to turn that into an expensive show of affection.

Valentine’s Day has to be one of the most ...

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Faith, Family, Holidays, Home, Life

Out To The Outhouse

Out To The Outhouse

Raise your hand if you’ve ever used an outhouse.

During a recent discussion with friends, the topic of outhouses came up. I honestly don’t remember why it made its way into the conversation, but boy, did it ever.

So, I posed the question on my Facebook page, yes or no, have you ever used an outhouse? I was shocked at not only the number of people who said yes, but also at the number of people who responded with comments about their ...

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art, Blog, Family, Farming, Home, Life

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The Gold and Green 70’s

The Gold and Green 70’s

I grew up in the land of harvest gold and avocado green. I can withstand anything.

As a kid of the 70’s, I was surrounded by strong colors and shag carpet. Most kids probably didn’t notice or care how garish our surroundings were, but I did.

What were we thinking?

As a child, I would look at photos from the previous decades and admire the choices people made when they decorated their homes and businesses. Specifically, I was drawn to the Art Deco ...

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art, Family, Home, Life

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