Living in Society
Politics mostly social commentary.
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A walk on the state park trail is respite from working at home. These days I take the auto off property once or twice each week. The rest of the time is spent working at home or walking on the trail. A person needs sunlight and bird songs for many reasons. It is as close… Read more
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I spent six years on my county’s board of health. It was the most substantial volunteer work I have done. We touched upon almost every aspect of the community and it felt like we were making a difference. Under Republican leadership the state’s public health system is getting worse. Let’s talk about cancer. According to… Read more
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In an effort to present a contrast with Joe Biden, Republicans insist upon elevating immigration as a top tier 2024 campaign issue. My issue with this is they lie, dissemble, and obstruct. Are there are many “contacts” at the border. Yes. Is there a problem with illegal importation of the narcotic fentanyl? Yes. Are there… Read more
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During the first two minutes I had my Merlin bird identification software listening, it found: White-breasted Nuthatch, Northern Cardinal, American Robin, House Finch, House Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Blue Jay, Chipping Sparrow, and Canada Goose. The usual suspects were awake and came out to greet me a few days after the storm. The storm gathered all… Read more
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And there I was… standing with feet spread wide apart on the roof with wind wildly blowing my hair. It was a strong wind, with gusts likely to topple me without a broad base of support. From that vantage, I looked down at the lake and beyond, finished my work, then descended the ladder to… Read more
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The wealthy and powerful made up their minds. They want a Republican President and Congress. Never mind their last Republican President went on trial yesterday. Never mind that corruption is endemic to what they do in the Congress. Never mind 45 failed to follow the most basic protocols regarding the security of national intelligence. They… Read more
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The topic of abortion exploded in our news media this week. It had a short fuse. Historian Heather Cox Richardson summarized two national news events in her April 9 Letter from an American: Yesterday, former president Trump released a video celebrating state control over abortion; today, a judicial decision in Arizona illuminated just what such… Read more
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Our cable television provider sent a message that if I don’t get a new device installed for our television the service will end. I said okay and they shipped an encryption device designed to make the internet signal readable by our television. To install the equipment required a service technician. We used to call them… Read more
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Editor’s Note: This is a chapter from my autobiographical work in progress. By 1962 I owned a camera and used it to photograph our neighborhood. It was an early form of creativity that stayed with me all my life. I walked north from home on Marquette Street and took snapshots of the Levetzow’s holiday display… Read more
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In an interview with Missouri political activist Jess Piper, Iowa journalist Doug Burns captured this statement: “I specifically don’t talk about Biden because all he’s doing is delivering roads and that sort of thing, but they need to talk about who’s really impacting their life and that’s people in the Statehouse,” Jess Piper, the executive… Read more
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