Blogs

Late last summer, we had a pair of stray dogs show up. Big dogs. With paws almost as big as my hand. One had husky or malamute markings in mostly white and a head size and shape showing some Great Pyrenees characteristics; the other was a beautiful tan and brown-and-white fellow of the same size whose markings were similar to a German shepherd, with the head also showing some Great Pyrenees.

With all the craziness 2020 has brought, it feels only appropriate to end the year with one of the most divisive events in our country: a presidential election.

My front window faces south, toward the highway. Between the house and the highway is a field they just chopped for corn silage. It was a strange year with a cold June and an early frost, and the corn didn’t yield as well as expected. I am sad about that, but I am glad to have my view back.

I rarely watch the news anymore. It’s not that I don’t want to keep up on current events; it’s just that I can barely tolerate the smug editorializing of those who report the news.

“An acquaintance saw what I had done with this old bread truck and was so impressed that he went out and bought one like it to make into his own camper.

Navy SEAL training has become legendary, and having no personal experience, I have to take at face value the accounts of those who have. In his book Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage, Dan Crenshaw describes a portion of training called “drownproofing.”