The cost of victory, American victory, is ongoing. And it should be. Here’s why: After finishing the assigned reading list for an American History degree I noticed repeated behavior: The losers get paid. Why, you ask? Here’s why:
EXCITABLE BOY, THEY ALL SAID
March 5, 2025 by
An excitable boy at age eighteen is a good thing. I had a great year at that age. Graduated from high school, got a summer job, hitch-hiked to Iowa and back. I left town for college, then turned nineteen and joined the Army the next fall like it was school. That’s where I saw older […]
EXTRA EFFORT, BUT HOW MUCH?
March 1, 2025 by
Extra effort is the rule, or so we hear. “If you want to be somebody, it will take more than you’re doing.” “If you want to succeed, work harder.” But some people are born lucky. Clint asks, “Do you feel lucky? Do you, punk?”
GILBERT HOUSE IN SALEM: CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, ADULT PLAYTIME, OR BOTH
February 23, 2025 by
The Gilbert House Children’s Museum is fun for kids, a way for them to see new things in a new context. Gather up the kids and grandkids for an afternoon of the usual? Nope, not at the Gilbert House. There’s something undeniably sweet going on there for the big kids, the adults.
BETTER LIFE BEGINS WITH _____
March 31, 2023 by
A better life begins right where you are, not over there. Or there, or there, but right where you are, which might be the reason change is so hard. The funniest thing I’ve heard about making a change is, “We haven’t done anything and we’re fresh out of ideas.” But that’s not you? Let’s be […]
BREAKDOWN BLOGGER BREAKS IT DOWN
March 11, 2023 by
The Breakdown Blogger understands you. They’re not breaking down, but breaking down big things into smaller bits. Not everyone is strong enough to carry the big things all at once. Call it a fact of life. Or call it nonsense. But before you call it anything, consider the weight.
BEST ADVICE FROM UNEXPECTED SOURCES
May 19, 2022 by
The best advice is words of wisdom from a trusted wise man, or wise woman. If that’s what you’re looking for, keep looking. You’ll find it, or give up trying. This is a post for just such quitters. Quitters who figured it out on their own.
MOVING ON WHEN YOU’RE THE LAST TO KNOW
March 30, 2022 by
Plans for moving on depend on timing: Don’t go too soon, or wait too long. If you’ve picked up and changed locations by yourself, you know the drill. Sometimes it works out better than expected. Then there’s this:
READING HISTORY BOOKS YIELDS MORE THAN BARGAINED FOR
February 3, 2022 by
Reading history books is about more than validating the opinion you already have. George Washington, first president and father of our country, chopped a cherry tree down and confessed because he would never lie? Honest Abe Lincoln never told a lie? No one questioned their honesty? Reading history books could answer those sort of questions, […]
FOR TEACHING HISTORY, FIRST LEARN HISTORY
December 29, 2021 by
My first awareness about teaching history came during a senior seminar class on the origins of WWI. I was a night school student finishing off history degree requirements; a ‘take classes at noon’ student, a ‘whatever class fits the right time slot’ student. It was the usual schedule for irresponsible college dropouts who get married, […]
