In honor of my aunt Shirley who passed away last week, I’m re-posting one of my most popular blog posts. I hope you enjoy. Several years ago, my wife, daughter, and I lived in a small town next to a church, where I served as the youth director. One day, we found a beautiful border…
Month: July 2013
Death by Weather Channel
In a household with a nine-year old, you might think our favorite channel would be something like Nickelodeon. Or maybe Cartoon Network or PBS. Nope. Most of the time our television is tuned to . . . the Weather Channel. My son is – how can I say this nicely – very interested in the…
My son – aspiring mind or mad scientist?
There’s something you should know. My kids are smarter than me. It’s a tough reality to wake up and face. But I have to face it every day. My college-age daughter sits around answering almost every question on Jeopardy (Now named to the cabinet, Steven Chu won a Nobel for capturing atoms with these light…
Hawaii delayed for rummage through the trash
During the year my wife was sick, it seemed like our entire life was in chaos. It seemed that almost every day brought some new crisis. But there were a few happy memories from that time. One in particular stands out – our trip to Hawaii. Tracie wanted to visit Hawaii. But it seemed impossible .…
Join my Fantasy Household Cleaning league
Some people play fantasy football or baseball. They have entire leagues and tournaments they take part in. Not me, though. Instead, I do fantasy housework. I find that housework is a lot easier and less stressful if I don’t actually do it. I have the cleanest house on the block – in my mind! You’ll…
Why Andy Griffith continues to be a TV favorite
Last Wednesday marked the one year anniversary of the death of Andy Griffith. As for many, including myself, the Andy Griffith show continues to be a favorite. I remember watching this show a lot in reruns while I was growing up. And even now, I never get tired of watching it. I think there are…
Leaving (briefly) on a jet plane
Just the other day, I took my daughter to the airport. Now, there have been many times over the years when I’ve threatened to stick her on a plane and send her somewhere one way. But this time was different. This time she was taking her first flight by herself. It was pretty much a…
10 reasons why my iPod should be confiscated
Some years ago, I was fortunate enough to have an iPod come into my life. For a person who worked his way through college by playing actual, real-to-goodness 45 records at a local radio station, I still find the technology that allows us digital music to be quite incredible. However, my iPod recently konked out. It would freeze…
Dad, can I ask you some more questions?
If you’re a regular reader, you know my son has never worried about what curiosity did to the cat. In fact, if he could find that cat, my son would ask him just what exactly curiosity did do to him. You might be wondering where my son gets all his questions. My only reply is this:…
Wal-Mart at the speed of sound
When you live in a small town, you often have to invent things to do. And when you’re easily entertained like we are, it isn’t hard to do. My son and I recently found such a way. And as most of life does in a small town, it revolves around Wal-Mart. My son hates going…
Holding together the jello 