by America's Storyteller | Sep 11, 2026 | I Like That Story
It usually starts August 1. Libby says, “I suppose we should take the bunting down.” I nod. We do nothing. We find ways to postpone this simple task—to delay the inevitable. Truth is, we LIKE the bunting. It makes our plain Victorian house look a little...
by America's Storyteller | Sep 11, 2026 | I Like That Story
One morning, you’ll step outside and feel it. The humidity is gone, and there’s a certain crispness to the air. The next morning, the humidity may come roaring back, as oppressive as ever. But on this morning, you look around and see the signs of the inevitable. An...
by America's Storyteller | Sep 11, 2026 | I Like That Story
“Get off my land!” That was a common thing we kids would shout at the neighbor kids whenever a spat broke out. We must’ve heard it from our parents, since we knew very little about property rights and certainly had no role in the purchase of said property. 😆 Time...
by America's Storyteller | Sep 11, 2026 | I Like That Story
Today I’m in a funk. Nothing special happened to me 25 years ago today. I did nothing heroic. I lost no one close to me. I was filling in on a radio station during morning drive, reading the news and watching the horrible events of that morning unfold beneath a...
by America's Storyteller | Sep 8, 2026 | I Like That Story
For the latest episode of a Perfectly Imperfect Union, I travel to the Mount Rushmore State and visit with storyteller Jeffrey Gould. Each conversation has been special in its own way, and this one is another gem. I could have listened to him for hours, if not days....
by America's Storyteller | Sep 6, 2026 | I Like That Story
I’m a fair nut. I was a 4-H kid who took projects to the county fair. My first job was working at the Minnesota State Fair. I met my wife, Libby, at that same fair, so it is literally fair to say I’m a fair nut. It is unusual for us not to go to the fair. There’s...
by America's Storyteller | Aug 28, 2026 | I Like That Story
Generations of my in-laws have stayed in the same county in southeastern Minnesota, where sinkholes and caves are part of family conversation. My wife’s grandfather’s sister’s husband (OK, Libby’s great-uncle) was a man named Joe Pettey, who was the first to discover...
by America's Storyteller | Aug 28, 2026 | I Like That Story
In the summer, if you’re quiet, observant, and live in the right place, you’ll see a hummingbird. My mother-in-law has them in abundance off her back deck. Most people sitting where I am notice the deer—plenty of fawns, yearlings, and does, and, on the occasional...
by ilikethatstory | Aug 26, 2026 | I Like That Story
About 50 years ago, many a dairy farmer was caught up in the hype and desire of having a one-and-only blue Harvestore next to the barn. A Harvestore was a dark blue, enameled-steel marvel that promised perfect silage to boost production and make dairymen profitable....
by ilikethatstory | Aug 23, 2026 | I Like That Story
In my front yard is an Ohio buckeye tree. Since I live in South Dakota, this tree is obviously lost. This time of year, I get a lot of comments about it because it looks a little like an orange tree—except instead of oranges, it’s covered in strange green orbs. Break...
