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The Air In Joplin Stings
July 10, 2011 in: Reflections on the River
The air in Joplin stings. The wind sweeps down a clear-cut channel through the middle of town. No buildings, no tree limbs and almost no grass - it’s been covered by collapsed houses – block the breeze. The wind stirs up dirt, tiny particles of insulation, debris and who knows what else and blasts them [...]
continue readingPlaying on the farm d-fence team
April 15, 2011 in: Reflections on the River
When Snow-mageddon was bearing down on us this winter, I called Dad to check on him and make sure he was prepared. Dad reported that he’d already brought in a bunch of firewood and had drawn off some water. I looked around my house at what I had done to prepare for a power outage [...]
continue readingPeanut brittle is brain food, if you can remember where you put it
March 12, 2011 in: Reflections on the River
There’s a good reason why I’m eating three-month old peanut brittle. Okay, not a good reason, but at least I can explain. It all started in December. I was at the store getting a few purchases and sitting there on the counter was a display of peanut brittle. I love peanut brittle. Especially at Christmas [...]
continue readingMauve chairs had staying power
January 29, 2011 in: Reflections on the River
The snow is piled 8 inches deep outside and I’m snug inside, writing this column on a laptop computer while sitting in my new recliner. Which gives me cause to reflect and speculate that this chair will probably outlive the computer by five or six lifetimes. This luxurious microfiber recliner and its mate replace two [...]
continue readingWhy I hate the Little Drummer Boy but love Christmas
December 22, 2010 in: Devotionsseparator=, &Reflections on the River
The little drummer boy is not in the Bible. Shepherds, angels, wise men, even a violence-prone king, but there is no little drummer boy who shows up at the manger. You would think it was Holy Scripture after the reaction from one woman, who told me she gets tears in her eyes every time she [...]
continue readingReflections on the ice storm
December 15, 2010 in: Reflections on the River
This is a portion of the business column I wrote during the ice storm that struck St. Joseph and the region three years ago this week. I pulled it out for some reflections. Boy, am I thankful for my warm furnace tonight. Never had Christmas lights looked prettier. Two and a half miles driving down [...]
continue readingReflections at Thanksgiving
November 24, 2010 in: Reflections on the River
It’s Thanksgiving. I’m making pie, stuffing, baked squash and salads with jello and Cool Whip starring as main ingredients. Alan Jackson is cued on the stereo and soon he’ll sing, “Let It Be Christmas.” But for now, it’s Thanksgiving and that gives rise to a reflective mood. I’ve had some quiet time to let my [...]
continue readingReflections: Car shopping in the singles market
November 16, 2010 in: Reflections on the River
My old Oldsmobile had served faithfully, but a cracked block made it clear that our time together must end very soon. Talking with some friends, they commiserated as I dreaded not so much taking on a car payment as the ordeal of car shopping. We took turns sharing tales of defeat and triumph on the [...]
continue readingReflections: The allure of the farmer’s daughter
October 24, 2010 in: Reflections on the River
In a popular country song, a guy describes how he took a summer job working for a farmer. He didn’t realize he was in for such hard labor and was ready to quit. And then, just when he didn’t think things could get much hotter, he met the farmer’s daughter. Ah yes, the farmer’s daughter. [...]
continue readingConquering the frontier via the Internet
September 27, 2010 in: Reflections on the River
The frontier is what shaped the American mettle, according to Frederick Jackson Turner’s famous thesis. The challenge of taming the wilderness, outsmarting the elements and staking a claim forged the spirit that can triumph in the face of adversity and take a moral stand in the process. Jackson was pretty concerned that in 1890 the [...]
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