I watched the speech last night, and the lame joke that followed, and this morning
this little pome popped out.
Republicans sat last night
En grisaille, suited
Crusty Easter Island moai
Stone-still, sneaking
Under-breath barbs to pals
Like middle school burnouts
Way in the far-back row
Trying to defy order

(Without being caught)
An earmark of smugness,
Total lack of respect.
While Democrats danced in the aisles
like it [...]

Here is typical Facebook wall posting: “My dog has four legs; so do my chairs. Today I need to wash my dog.” I’m also  on Facebook, but I’m thinking it ought to be renamed “Get-A-Lifebook.” Or www.Drivel.com? Nah, those names probably are already taken. Our snow is back, not a lot but enough to lightly [...]

This story is from John Bat-Carp Chapman (Maj, USAF, Ret).  We attended undergraduate navigation training together at Mather AFB, Sacramento, CA. Before that he was a swimmer at U. Illinois. He spent most of his AF career in F-111s. It’s a true story.

One day a long, long time ago, there was this pilot who, [...]

Memorial services for Arthur H. Missias, 1948-2010, will be held at the Portage Northern High School Igloo at 1 p.m., Friday, January 29. Somehow it seems appropriate that we say goodbye to Artie  in a place named for extreme cold. I doubt I could even begin to tally all the hours we spent with kids [...]

Hey Artie, yo Art! You listening?

We sat last night’s death vigil from afar,
The place where your kids came to be sat and such,
Sucking back aches of time,
Trying to replace the starkness of your now
With memories of rinks and ice,
Sweaty kids in penalty boxes,
Coaches yelling between periods,
Chirping at referees from benches,
Brown-nosing parents,
Holding our noses at
The smell [...]

One of those gray days, hinting cruelly of spring, which remains only a distant thought in reality, not even a possibility yet.  All-day errands, hithering and thithering , a little unexpected and much welcomed color popping up — a cardinal in a tree at a friend’s place, a deer prancing nervously in the woody swale. [...]

My friends all know I find nearly everything about winters loathsome.  Except…some days when the ice forms, you get some wonderful shapes to look at.  That and watching my 80-pound mouser at work. Today I’m sharing ice, so to speak and a bumper sticker my son saw in town, which reads:  “If guns kill people, [...]

One of my good CO friends sent me a note telling me about videotaping a confession of a violator who shot an eight-point out his truck window. When the guy finally confessed, he broke down emotionally and began sobbing and wanted a HUG!  The guy has a passel of kids at home and had given [...]

Last week we found deer tracks that cut into the street in front of the house. I backtracked where they came out of neighbor’s Art’s back yard, something obviously having spooked them out of their bedding area. We’ve seen them take the same route in broad daylight. In this case Shanahan was barking at 0700 [...]

Dinner tonight at a fine new area restaurant called, Bold, run by Shane Sheldon, who played soccer for me many, many moons ago. The name derives from the establishment’s concept which is “plain food, bold flavor.” It works. Boy does it work! Located at Texas Corners in Texas Township, west of Portage. Check it out [...]