Today’s mail brought the first letter from Grandson Spencer, now, about three weeks into U.S. Marine Bootcamp at Camp Pendleton, California. The contents are between he and I. It was great to hear from him. Next letter to him I’ll use the WWI stamps I bought this week. The sheet headline: WORLD WAR I *TURNING […]
A friend asked who I plan to vote for in the Minnesota Primary Election Tuesday, August 14. More on that towards the end of this post. If you’re Minnesotan, here’s the page to find the candidates who are on the ballot in your precinct for the primary. Some personal observations: It is easy to complain […]
Today, we leave for the annual week up north; the internet stays behind. I leave, for reflection, the below photo of an 8×10″ poster recently found in her home closet by Barbara, an active activist I’ve known for years. (The words, “active activist”, are intentional. Barbara always “walks the talk”.) This memento, by Robert Mulder, […]
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with them. Then he becomes your partner.” Nelson Mandela Sometimes I stumble on things, such as last night at the Minnesota Orchestra. We were unable to attend the last program in our subscription series, and had a deadline of August 1 to […]
Yesterday I was primarily involved in family matters related to the induction of Grandson Spencer into the U.S. Marines. At the induction at the Henry Whipple Federal Building in Bloomington, the backdrop was this map of the world. Spencer and about 20 others recited the oath of enlistment. It was a powerful time, plenty of […]
Last weekend I sang the praises of the film about Fred Rogers, “Will You Be My Neighbor”, which we had seen last Sunday. Kathy wrote: “RBG also uplifting and worth seeing.” “RBG“? It is the documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We saw it yesterday at the Edina Theatre and highly recommend it. […]
As I write, POTUS is about to announce the new Justice for SCOTUS. It’s not worth my time. NYTimes just broke in on my screen with breaking news. I know the name. That’s sufficient. In the interim, to those who may be de-spirited, I recommend looking up the new documentary about Fred Rogers, “Won’t You […]
Most every time my spouse goes to an evening meeting or get-together I tell her I’ll be dining out at a four-star restaurant. Usually, my trip is to left-overs, or on occasion the neighborhood McDonalds, for a hamburger and small fries…. My “threat” is always an idle one. This has taken on a far more […]
Friday I was on the observation deck of the always impressive North Dakota State Capitol. A father was with two of his elementary school age sons: “who is Governor of North Dakota?” he asked, as they stood by photos of North Dakota’s past Governors and Lieutenant Governors. I am a very active student of history, […]
My understanding is that Donald Trump will be in North Dakota today. So will I, though our agendas are very different. I am traveling to complete some legacy work at the North Dakota Historical Society in Bismarck, completing the task of adding old family farm photos to the North Dakota archives. One of them is […]