Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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After three days and two nights in Chicago it is good to be home. The tail end of a cold persists, but I feel much better after spending a couple of days with peers from around the Midwest making sales presentations. We’re selling blenders on the Black Friday weekend—something else writers do to pay the… Read more
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SCHILLER PARK, Ill.— The preliminary election returns for Big Grove Precinct arrived at 10:47 p.m. yesterday from the county auditor’s office. It will be a couple of days before the township trustee write-in votes will be tallied. Once those results are in, I’ll include a more complete analysis of the results and their meaning. For… Read more
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Half of our household budget is paid from wages earned by working in the warehouse. It’s a constant worry and last night highlighted a couple of things. Up all night coughing due to a cold, or something, I called off today. My worries were about 1). being sick, 2). leaving my superior in the lurch… Read more
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LAKE MACBRIDE—Five consecutive days without home broadband has been challenging. My work relies on being connected. While taking stock of this dependency, which borders on addiction, unnecessary concerns drop easily from view. Instead there is time to contemplate the 4 a.m. southern cloud formation, bright against a sky sprinkled full of stars. It has been… Read more
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LAKE MACBRIDE — With more to do than hours exist in a day, I am taking a hiatus from daily writing here. Not sure how long I’ll be gone, but I expect to resume once things settle down. In the meanwhile, click on the tag cloud to read your favorite subjects from the archives. And… Read more
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LAKE MACBRIDE— The thought of mowing is pushed back until the deciduous trees shed their leaves. Pools of yellow, red, brown and variegated leaves rest silently around tree trunks all around the neighborhood as geese fly overhead. The next step toward winter and its bitter cold. Yesterday’s options were many—events with politicians Dave Loebsack, Monica… Read more
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CORALVILLE— The League of Women Voters forum last night was a bust for the candidates in my house district. The league puts on a good show at the table, but only a limited number of constituents were present, and the television feed went to only one of six county precincts in the district. Major outlets… Read more
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LAKE MACBRIDE— It is a late frost this year. Oct. 20 and the tomatoes and peppers are still growing, inspiring hope to pick more before the season finally ends. I gave away a bushel of kale on Saturday, confident there will be more. In between part time jobs there are blocks of time with which… Read more
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LAKE MACBRIDE— The general election is 18 days away, and how my ballot will shape up is finally clear. This coming week, the two of us will head into Iowa City and vote at the auditor’s office. The down-ticket races and issues have been challenging to make a reasonable decision. In particular, the township trustee… Read more
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SOLON— One was planning to harvest corn until Sunday, when he would turn to beans. Half the beans are already in and the fields have been too wet to get the equipment in the last few days. Talk is about how much propane will be needed to dry the harvest. “It could easily run up… Read more
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