Winter has seemed more cruel this year. We’ve had a record snowfall for February and the temperatures have usually been running 15-20 degrees colder than normal. Icy surfaces just won’t melt, even though the sun is getting stronger and our days are getting longer. It’s March now and we usually are in the height of …
Immigrant
Guest post by Max I’ve lived a pretty good life since my human family took me in as a puppy. My humans pet me, brush me, and feed me dog food. If I can work the sympathy look well enough, they even give me their food. They take me for walks and to the Great …
Walking Softly
I was grumpy. The seeming cruelty of February was in full force. Temperatures have mostly been 25 degrees below average in the coldest trough of winter. When it has warmed up to balmy temperatures above zero, we seem to have been blessed with freezing rain followed by snow. Walking anywhere out side is an icy …
The Least
New International Version "The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:40 The parable of the sheep and the goats might be the scariest parable Jesus uttered. If one reads nothing else in …
Walking Flawed
I'm still flawed and I'm still here. And I like to walk. In fact, I cherish walking for a whole lot of reasons, mostly just because I can still enjoy bipedal ambularity. I don't take walking lightly. I was paralyzed on the right side of my body fifteen years ago, with very little expectation that …
A Bird Dog’s View of the Election
Guest post by Max I feel terrible for my human family. They seem so stressed out over so many things. They seem to rush around in the morning, change their fur, put on their paws and then rush out the door in their metal boxes that roll. They come home all stressed out and spend …
The Pursuit of Character
In our muddled political season of tweets and infomercials, we hear the word "character" a lot. Other times, character may not be directly mentioned in the conversation but it is clearly the thing that is being discussed, particularly with regard to the alleged dystopia of others. A candidate may be lauded for work ethic or …
Breakdown
Human antipathy and conflict are as old as the human race. However, it feels like we have entered a new era in America where we are increasingly unable or unwilling to see the humanity in one another. In the last month, we have seen mass murder in an Orlando night club, more African American men …
Fishing Around
Some anglers always fish for panfish. Others are dedicated bass chasers. There are those who only fish trout and only with a fly rod. In Minnesota, walleye are the state fish and some folks try exclusively for them whether they are biting or not. God bless them all. I'm an equal opportunity fisherman. If I …
Teenagers in Danger of Extinction
Life accelerates. Always. However, the human capacity for such acceleration does not keep pace with the time demands that ever increase. As modern life becomes more "convenient" and as we rapidly author our way through our days via electronic means, we seem to have lost our collective and individual ability to breathe, to reflect and …
reflections of a flawed man 