“Love is a feeling you feel when you feel you’ve never felt that feeling before.” I first heard that from marriage counselor and author, Norm Wright. And while slightly over the top, it does reflect our society, doesn’t it? We go by feelings, by our gut. That’s why the pic above means so much. The morning in Idaho started off pretty chilly, and we geared up for cold weather, including insulated pants. Insulated pants that you can only remove with great difficulty and flexibility, particularly if you keep your boots on. But…
Read MoreChanging Our Past?
My Lambo drive changed me, increasing my love of speed, and I couldn’t help but wonder: if I had tried this when younger, could I have made it in sports car racing? I passed a younger guy in a more powerful car on the track. My dad held the Cannonball Run championship. Yeah, the train had left the station, 71 was to old to end retirement. But 50 years earlier…Ever wonder the same?
Read MoreImperfect
Funny, how both optimists and pessimists claim they are the realists. Both have truth, and both tend to ignore the other dimension of reality. My pessimism forced me to choose to develop optimism to save my sanity…and perhaps my life. But how do we balance the realism of both troubles and good times?
Read MoreDoing What We Most Desire
The face and name of a one-time date in my single days has faded, but a line she used seared itself into my memory. I mentioned that I wanted to do something, but wasn’t able to. She responded, “My big brother says we all do what we want.” I’ve pondered that, and concluded…
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Image by Andrew Foulk, Press Enterprise
Fires, Floods, and Evacuations
Along with much of the country, California has been blasted with floods, fires, and evacuations. Likely you’ve seen examples on the evening news. A recent fire in the community next door forced an evacuation of a long time friend, Jim Davis. Here’s his story.
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image by Marie D. De Jesus, NY Times
Know Your Opponent
Once again, a shooter at a school took lives, and commentators and citizens and officials offered their takes on both the causes and solutions. One US Senator weighed in, with one part of wisdom and another of ignorance. Speaking of Santa Fe High School, Ted Cruz said, “This community has seen the face of unmitigated evil.” Yes they did, and we’d all agree. But he then amazed me with…
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image by fanpop
Selling Cheap
Back in 8th grade, Sheila’s artistic streak caused her to yearn for colored pencils. The nun who taught at her school, aware of Sheila’s love of colored pencils and that her family couldn’t afford them, tried to bribe her by offering those pencils if she became a nun. Sheila REALLY loved the pencils, but not that much. By the way, to my family and friends who follow the Catholic faith, I don’t mean to imply that is standard church policy. Her self control beat mine...
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image by Josh Garcia
It's Dad's Fault
On a solo Sierra trip, to a rarely fished section of Rock Creek well away from most fisherfolk, I spotted a likely spot through the brush that rimmed the wild trout section. I slipped between the willow branches and wild roses, drowned the night crawler a bit without a bite, and carefully backed out, trying not to snag my 9 ft. split bamboo fly rod, or the line, in a vicious branch or rose thorn. But the rod tip struck a branch, the rod flexed and line went all over, taking a good ten minutes to unsnag the mess. Muttering under my breath in frustration, I blamed...
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