Living in Iowa
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Everyone I know is experiencing stress in September. Read more
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Life would be more difficult if I couldn’t read or write any longer. These skills represent a connection to a broader society, one in which I have invested my whole life. Read more
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I hadn’t realized the fall migration had begun. I saw a Monarch butterfly land on a milkweed plant that had already flowered, and was thankful because it had been a couple of years since I saw one. Later, I saw a couple of them flying across the road when I drove to town. This weekend,… Read more
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Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds created a 14-member nuclear energy task force in January by executive order. They finished their initial work this week and now its recommendations will go to the governor, state lawmakers, and state agencies. In her Jan. 5, 2026 press release, Reynolds said, “With our strong foundation in manufacturing and energy innovation,… Read more
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The new by-district county supervisor election system mandated by the state is underway in Johnson County. Many candidates are running, and at least one incumbent will be ousted. With new people come new policies, including a proposal to adopt a county manager. This idea would have consequences. The shift to district-based elections is already a… Read more
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These are tough times for a lot of people I know. Hang in there, folks! The weird weather is causing the ice to melt and maybe some good will come of it. If not, spring is coming. “Nostalgia in reverse, the longing for yet another strange land, grew especially strong in spring.” —Vladimir Nabokov This… Read more
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I got restless the afternoon of New Year’s Eve. My spouse was away for the holiday so I called the shop about 1:10 p.m. and asked how late their oil change service lane would be open. I left immediately for the small city to our north. They were closing early because of the holiday yet… Read more
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2025 has been a crappy year in some ways and a good year in others. On the crappy side, our president is undoing much of the good that has been in place since World War II. He and his collaborators in Iowa are changing society in a way that will have long-term negative effects. On… Read more
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By late Sunday night, I was ready for the deathly weekend to end. An acquaintance my age, with whom I worked at a transportation and logistics firm, died unexpectedly of a heart attack. His obituary was in the Sunday newspaper. There were the shootings in the news: Brown University in Rhode Island, and Bondi Beach… Read more
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Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up on the ACA marketplace for health insurance effective Jan 1, 2025. When I left the company and career of 25 years, securing health insurance was an issue. That was July 2009. There were no easy options, so I stayed on COBRA coverage. The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation… Read more
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