Hello, Des Moines!

Hello, Des Moines!

You have a beautiful State Capitol and an excellent history center! Thrivent was an EXCELLENT host, and a special shout-out to Gabriel—a 12-year-old with a passion for history and a love for America’s Story. Gabriel, your passion for our country is an...
Unsung Heroes

Unsung Heroes

In the fall of the year, homecoming floats will be filled with heroes. Teachers, coaches, and mentors remembered for helping kids become better versions of themselves. They may never make the news stream, but they are never forgotten by the students whose lives were...
Kind of Sad

Kind of Sad

  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...
One Day

One Day

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...
Do You Wanna Play?

Do You Wanna Play?

“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...
I’m in a funk

I’m in a funk

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...
1 Million Story State Fair

1 Million Story State Fair

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...
Lost Pig Cave

Lost Pig Cave

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...