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FAMILY TIME SUNSET ON THE WESTERN EDGE

Family time needs a motto, and this could be one: “It’s better to create something and be criticized that to create nothing and criticize others.” But what feeds the creative force?

MOTHER’S DAY LADY REVIEW

After one miss on Mother’s Day with sick kids, I never missed another. During the phone call to tell her about missing she decided to tell me the nuts and bolts of my adventurous conception. The date, the name of the motel, the works. What mom doesn’t share that story? I’ve since stayed in the […]

BOOMER SLUR? WATCH YOUR MOUTH

The baby boomer slur comes from younger people. It goes like this: “You sound just like a Boomer.” Yeah, we get it. Just like a boomer. So I did the research, the hard work, the deep dive. In other words, I watched the opening to Saving Private Ryan.

WORDPLAY POWER GOES WRONG? WATCH YOUR TONGUE

Wordplay power: the activity of joking about the meanings of words, especially in an intelligent way. Those are the funny people having fun with wordplay power. Intelligent funny people. They see things and hear things that make them laugh, and we laugh along. The meaning of words changes over time. So has what’s been considered funny. Oddly enough, we change over time, too. What about […]

DAD POWER: YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SUPER

Dad power comes from men who know the secret of being a dad. It begins in denial. “I’ll never have kids, I’ve got enough problems.” Then curiosity. “I’d be a better dad than anyone I know.” The final straw? “I think my girlfriend would be a great mom.” That’s it. That’s the entire post. But […]

DAD VALUE: THE MISSING INGREDIENT IN FAMILY RECIPE

Dad value fluctuates day to day, but one thing is certain: Father’s make a difference. Disagree? Then ask someone you know without a dad, or never knew their dad. I read an article about being raised with love and how it makes a difference when you love someone raised on survival. Had we known then […]

FATHER’S DAY INSPECTION

This is a Father’s Day inspection I’m glad I didn’t see as a kid. My dad is the guy with the sword. A sword?

A BIRTHDAY, VE DAY, FLYOVER PORTLAND DAY

My dad’s birthday is May 8, so it was a big day before I learned about Victory in Europe, or anything in Europe. It’s still a big day. Sharing his day with the end of the worst war in the history of mankind, where industrialized death became the accepted norm, can’t be easy. Just ask […]

KA-BAR TO THE RESCUE AGAINST BEARS AND OTHERS

  One of the benefits of being an Armed Forces veteran from the mid-70’s is the ability to relate to other veterans, to show respect for their service today.   History is full of great moments of grace and dignity, pomp and circumstance, but veteran to veteran isn’t about a parade, or acknowledgement.   Getting […]

THE BIRTHDAY BOY: HOW TO CELEBRATE YOUR DAD’S DAY

The Gillaspie children Wayne, Cleo, and Rex, c. 1948. This May 8th my Dad would have been 84 years old. Birthdays are important. To all baby boomers: Call your parents on their birthday. To all hipsters: Get off your scooter and show your parents you were raised right. Call them. To all millennials: Follow the […]