State park trail entry point.

Journey Home

Tales from the pilgrimage.

Living in Society

Politics mostly social commentary.

  • Winter Begins

    Tomorrow is winter solstice and I’m ready for days to get longer. A new year’s hope begins. We spent yesterday decorating the house for the Christmas holiday. I ate a slice of the fruitcake sent by Mom. This morning I’m drinking coffee from the Boynton reindeer Christmas mug, and settling into habits formed long ago.… Read more

  • After the Ten Grand

    Most creative Americans I know have a sense of responsibility about their lives. Artists, writers and musicians accept lowly paid creative work when they can get it and find other, supplemental funds to pay bills. We all have bills and there are consequences for failing to pay them. It is a constant struggle, leading some… Read more

  • It is Time to Ditch the Caucuses

    When our family lived in Indiana, the 1988 Democratic nominee for president was mostly decided when our May 3 primary arrived. Michael Dukakis had been dominating previous primary contests and was expected to get the nod for president. He did. If I voted in that primary (don’t remember) it was a harbinger of what I… Read more

  • It is the Season

    The deer population is abundant because of a lack of predators, including the mostly male deer hunters currently in the field. People freak at the idea of wolves or large cats being near, so culling the herds has become a human activity. There is little danger of taking too many. Almost three months into the… Read more

  • Late Fall Near the Lake

    The good news about finishing three full weeks at the home, farm and auto supply store is the company offers health insurance that meets the Internal Revenue Service “minimum value standard” for less money than coverage available through the government’s health insurance marketplace or elsewhere. The bad news is all of the pay from this… Read more

  • Shootings Are Personal

    Any useful discussion of guns in society is personal. Frequent shootings have been reported in nearby Cedar Rapids, often in the neighborhood where we lived when our daughter was born. We heard gunshots while we were there. Most times a weapon was discharged with no one injured and no subsequent news story. The main reason… Read more

  • In Between

    The break between fall and winter cut sharply. On Thursday I made the last garden harvest and brought the water hose inside the garage. Snow began to fall yesterday around 5:30 p.m. I am writing and waiting for daylight to shovel the driveway. More is changing than the weather. I started a new, full-time job… Read more

  • Drake University Democratic Debate

    The winner in last night’s debate at Drake University’s Sheslow Auditorium was the American people as Hillary Clinton, Martin O’Malley and Bernie Sanders discussed, and actually debated issues that matter. This is in sharp contrast with the multi-level Republican debates. Only 700 people had tickets to attend, so I closed the door of my study,… Read more

  • Dark And Stormy Night

    I reached into the rusted storage cabinet to find the silicone spray. The padlock needed lubricant before securing the employee locker at my newest job. It’s not like I’ll keep valuables inside. My lunch and mobile device when I’m working, my box cutter, tape measure, name tag, note pad, ink pen and radio earpiece when… Read more

  • Oscar Mayer’s Long Road

    DAVENPORT — The Kraft Foods Oscar Mayer plant on Second Street will be razed as its new owner, Kraft Heinz, plans to move operations and layoff much of the workforce at the long-time meat packing plant. Wednesday’s announcement, that Kraft Heinz will close seven plants in the U.S. and Canada over the next two years… Read more