1+ day, 8+ hour ago   (622+ words) Writers and thinkers have a cruel way of damning their colleagues with faint praise, and the same may be said for just plain folks who get the same treatment. So as a service to all common Upper Midwesterners, I have…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago   (297+ words) Pardon my offense to the Bard’s immortal words, but I just couldn’t hold back when I read about the actor Karl Malden who began as a … “A word by any other name might smell pretty sour.” Pardon my offense to…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago   (596+ words) Some folks believe I’m nuts to prefer black and white movies. But I have my reasons. I recently watched such a relic, called “You Can’t take it with You,” filmed in 1938, which goes a long … “You Can’t Take It with…...

4+ week, 2+ day ago   (208+ words) You’ve heard of the common problem of “Bowling Alone,” which bemoaned the fading communal activity of getting together with others to pursue a pleasant pastime. Today I’m bemoaning the end of movie-going as a means of meet-and-greet with neighbors and…...

1+ mon, 3+ week ago   (652+ words) Last week’s tale might’ve reminded you of “If It’s Tuesday It Must Be Belgium.” Most of what we described was a sort of “Wham, Bam, Thank You Mam,” kind of trip as we railroaded through Europe. We saw a lot…...

4+ mon, 4+ day ago   (367+ words) In Eccentrical Treats Part I, Eddie Schwartz was the reporter who told me he preferred reporting on Houses of Ill Fame and dingy saloons. Today’s eccentric is an unsinkable man who ran a night club in Minneapolis called the Starlite…...

4+ mon, 1+ week ago   (301+ words) Recently a friend asked me with all the writing I do why haven’t I ever written my autobiography? I replied that many years ago I learned that I was boring and that any piece of writing that contained more than…...

5+ mon, 2+ week ago   (462+ words) To continue reading, you will need to either log in, using the login form, below, or purchase a new subscription. I just discovered in my new Farmer’s Almanac it’s All Fool’s Day. In my youth most farmers accessed the Almanac…...