From 2010 Today, April 18, marks a little known holiday called National Columnists Day that is celebrated by the National Society of Newspaper Columnists in memory of one of the most famous and loved columnists of all time — Ernie Pyle. Ernest Taylor Pyle was born in 1900 in Indiana and attended Indiana University. He […]
Category: Other work
Diabetes — No ‘feel-good’ ending to the story
The American Diabetes Association has proclaimed November as American Diabetes Month with the objective of raising awareness and understanding of diabetes, its consequences, management, and the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Nov. 14, was World Diabetes Day. Nov. 14 was chosen to celebrate the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, one of the co-discoverers of insulin […]
I Saw Nolan Ryan Pitch
Since it seems to be fashionable to have Throwback days on Facebook and other social sites, consider this throwback I found while going through papers not too long ago. It was written while I was on the Wichitan (Midwestern State University’s newspaper) staff in October, 1990 — 23 years ago! It was printed on pin-feed […]
Faux Finishing 101
My bathroom cabinet was at that awkward age — not old enough to be interesting or antique, but too old to be pretty. It was ordinary stained wood, with white paint splatters here and there from a paint job before we moved in. On top of that was a coating of that lovely combination of […]
Travels with my aunts, and others
Now that it’s summer and most normal people go on some kind of vacation, I’ve been remembering some of the trips my family took when I was a kid. My dad’s family moved from Texas to California in the late 1930s, like a lot of Dust Bowl/Depression-era families, looking for work in the defense plants, […]
Happy birthday to my son!
Today is my boy’s 40th birthday! Yes, my son is 40 years old. Hard to believe. Just the other day he was this little red-haired rascal running around in Superman pajamas, playing with his Domino Rally, listening to Weird Al Yankovic. Well, he probably still listens to Weird Al. I won’t speculate on the Superman […]
Little Boy Toys
Ah, the sound of Christmas music on the radio and in the stores as shoppers clammer for bargains. Commercialism, the economy, Black Friday and Cyber Monday aside, I do enjoy getting out all my Christmas CDs and tapes and listening to all the pretty songs that we only get to hear a month out of […]
In a Gadda da Middle Age
My 40th high school reunion is closing in, and our favorite music from the days of our youth has been requested. This story from 2006 is about my favorite formative musical memory. I’m 52. There it is. I’ve said it out loud and it’s out of the way. At my advanced age, something tells me […]
One Wall at a Time 