State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

  • Summer Weekend

    Dan and I visited the Ciha Fen Preserve across the Cedar River in Johnson County on Saturday. “The Ciha Fen Preserve is a sand prairie/savanna complex on a wind-deposited sand ridge,” according to mycountyparks.com. “It contains the Ciha Fen, which is one of the only two documented remaining nutrient-poor fens known in the state of… Read more

  • Old Boots in Service

    The debate was whether or not Army boots acquired in the 1970s should be retired. I don’t think so. I placed a set of inserts inside and they are as comfortable for walking as any of the expensive sneakers I bought to lighten the load of working on concrete floors all day at the home,… Read more

  • Hope in Solon

    Yesterday’s election of Lauren Whitehead to the Solon City Council represents a turning point in local political activism. Whitehead campaigned diligently in an environment where city residents sought to become more active in politics after the 2016 general election. What she accomplished by activating local voters serves as a model for the Iowa Democratic party’s… Read more

  • A Grand Tour

    The 45th President ends his first overseas trip today with G7 meetings in Sicily. He became exhausted due to his busy schedule according to reports. I enjoyed his time away although the trip has been an unmitigated disaster. The German newspaper Der Spiegel’s headline conveys the sentiment: “Donald Trump has transformed the United States into… Read more

  • Community Organizing

    Fellow members, I’m putting together a spring newsletter for inclusion in the June billing. Less than half the people who live in our association participate in the Facebook or Google Groups, so a newsletter is our chance to reach out to almost everyone. There are some things that bear repeating each year, and I’ll include… Read more

  • Storm Recovery

    Over the weekend a storm broke off a branch in one of the maple trees. The branch wedged between two others 20 feet above the ground. I couldn’t remove it myself. The tree service came yesterday with chain saws, ladders and loppers to bring the branches safely down. After work at the home, farm and… Read more

  • It’s Not Memorial Day

    We can end the witch hunt because it’s been found in the person of Iowa House Speaker Linda Upmeyer. I had hoped our first female speaker would be different from other politicians. Those hopes were dashed as she proved herself otherwise in pandering to the sizable Iowa veteran population. In her May 19 legislative newsletter… Read more

  • Joy Corning

    Joy Corning was on our target list to become an advocate for U.S. Senate ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Heady with Barack Obama’s 2008 victory, and confident Senate ratification of the New START Treaty would be a slam dunk, a nationwide coalition was formed to advocate for CTBT ratification after the 1999… Read more

  • Fireworks

    (Editor’s Note: One of the roles this blog plays is helping decipher Iowa politics. Now that I am president of our home owners association there is an occasional reason to do so and communicate to our members). Association members, As many of you may know, the state legislature passed a law allowing for the sale… Read more

  • Some Solon City Election History

    I am glad to see there is a contested race for the Solon city council seat vacated by Mark Krall. Even though I don’t live within city limits, voter turnout is one measure of the degree to which people participate in the community. A lot of people outside city limits call Solon home and want… Read more