For all of his deep down seriousness as a farmer, Grandad also had within him a much lighter streak. It didn’t surface very often, but when it did, the results were delightful.

His farmstead’s cluster of buildings dated back to the early 1900s. Included were the two-story white house, big red barn, red machine shed, a wood corn crib weathered to gray, and a white concrete building for storing grain.

To that, he decided to add a small and simply designed hog barn about twenty feet wide thirty feet long with a single sloping roof. It would contain separate stalls … Read the rest “When The Usual Wasn’t Good Enough”

We keep hoping a “one world” feeling leading to universal peace will eventually prevail, but that effort isn’t working. Even worse, while being concerned with what’s going on elsewhere in the world in terms of trying to avoid war, or at least keep the conversations going, we continue to shirk our duty at home—over commit our resources, waver in our original mission.

That shouldn’t, however, surprise anyone scanning the international scene. As someone once said: Hope is a poor business model. To that bucket of cold reality, the people of the world must add sharply divided political factions, religious zealots, … Read the rest “Imagine A Nation Of Keepers”

Go for coffee (get stimulated), take the hundred steps across a driveway into the bank (get money or leave some), slip sideways about ten steps to the courtesy mail station (to mail stuff), then go back home.

It was a great arrangement. Efficiency plus. No muss, no fuss. One stop with three results. And all with socializing adding its light touch—like coffee drinking friends always good for a warm welcome, a quick story, a good joke, a quick recap of any problem no matter where it was occurring, and a confidence building “see ya” upon leaving. Then came the one-handed … Read the rest “Wisdom Through A Window”

As with so many things, the true and often unseen value of what once was isn’t realized until later, so much later that it’s unlikely to ever return.

For evidence, you need not look any farther than a school playground whose main attraction is a plastic structure to be climbed into and upward where there await windows from which the young can look from and wave to those a scant eight feet below.

Yes, Adrian and Beth, that’s about all there is unless you climb down, then do it all over again. You met the challenge, and now it’s gone, … Read the rest “Yesterday’s Playgrounds Of Learning”

It had been a long and full day of being professional, of being with others who either confirmed what Mickey and I already knew, or shared with us what we hadn’t known before.

Now, and as dusk of yet another winter day fell on downtown New York, we left the sidewalk on 42nd Street and walked down a flight of stairs to the restaurant below. Greeting us was instant warmth, neatly set tables, and soft lighting. In the middle of the room a fireplace crackled with a real fire along with a few sparks and wisps of smoke.

We settled … Read the rest “A Revelation Of The Finest Sort”

It was easy to understand why the waiting list at Larry’s marina was so long, and also why the marina had grown from near nothing to one of the largest on the river. It was where well-mannered and safety-minded people kept their boats.

On the wall of Larry’s office was a picture of the “marina” when he bought it several years before—a short and rickety dock to which three houseboats had long been tied up. Larry laughed when he said that one boat was used for selling bootleg liquor, the other two used by local prostitutes on weekends. As the … Read the rest “When Good Sets The Pace”

You meet the person and visit for about fifteen minutes. Enough to call it a friendship? No. Acquaintance? Yes, so you write them a short email, tell them how much you enjoyed meeting them, and you hope there’s a next time.

The next day, no answer. Same thing the rest of the week. Two weeks go by and still nothing. You rationalize. They’re busy like you are, so that’s okay. You get it.

Three months later, you’re taking care of email and one address looks familiar. It’s from your now not so new acquaintance. They acknowledge how much you know … Read the rest “Sparring With TNN”

What I first noticed about my airline’s seat mate was his neat appearance quickly followed by crisply delivered chit-chat and a business card verifying his name was Dean and that his corporate title was “Director of Sales.”

As we continued to visit, he revealed he had recently bought a new house in an upscale neighborhood in Boston, that he had two cars and a socially active wife, and was an anxious father about to see his two daughters off to college.

He then filled in the rest of the picture with other details and insights most of which were positive. … Read the rest “Two Versions Of Success”