gnasisr

The Bagel Flag

The easy thing to believe in these turbulent times that we live in is that there is no common ground. It is us or them. It is my way or the highway. There will never be a tie that binds, and the ends of the rope shall never meet. The British Navy adopted the customContinue reading “The Bagel Flag”

We Don’t Need No Stinking Fishing Pole! (9/8/25)

Back in the day, my late friend Jamie used to tell a whopper of a fish story about catching trout with his bare hands. No tackle, no rod and reel, no creel; bare hands only. The story and the location and techniques employed stayed consistent with each telling so it was plausible, and Jamie alwaysContinue reading “We Don’t Need No Stinking Fishing Pole! (9/8/25)”

John Deere Green

It is called many different things. Farmer blow. Loogie. Snot rocket. Grandpa T had an old John Deere tractor, a “Johnnie Popper”. Those old machines were a marvel of simplicity with a slow firing two-cylinder engine rather than the more fashionable and higher revving four- or six-cylinders engines. The old green tractor had an almostContinue reading “John Deere Green”

The Sound of Silence

We live in a noisy world. Horns honk, loud pipes save lives, and media blasts us. Silence is a rare commodity these days. Back in the day I was in the construction business. During the spring melt in the Northwoods there was a slack time between things drying up and the next building season. ThatContinue reading “The Sound of Silence”

Please Help

These are some very uncertain times we are living in. Things are happening hard, and things are happening fast. By now most who read this blog are probably aware that National Endowment of the Humanities grant funding has been cancelled. This also means the end for Wisconsin Humanities, unless Congress reverses this order. For 50Continue reading “Please Help”

A Day of Peace and Love

Now it is confession time. On a cold winter day, not only was I at the rally, not only was I at the march, but I was inside of the Capitol. It is hard to describe the cacophony of the amplified voices and the buzzing crowd and shouts and cheers and jeers and applause reverberatingContinue reading “A Day of Peace and Love”

Riot in the Streets

I watched with horror as the Los Angeles riots streamed live on TV. How could this possibly happen in the United States of America? A few years later, we were at a festival in Reno, Nevada, having a grand time. The entire city was abuzz with both sanctioned events as well as many venues providingContinue reading “Riot in the Streets”

What If?

The Northwoods abounds with natural beauty. We stand in awe of the natural treasures stretching from the splendor and majesty of Lake Superior and the remaining virgin timber in the North to the endless sandy beach shorelines of the constellation of lakes in the Northern Highlands to the south. But within all of this naturalContinue reading “What If?”

Lost in the Forest

It was the second marriage for both of us. We argued into the night and said terrible things to each other we both knew we could never take back. The marriage had imploded. One thing that was agreed upon, it would be me vacating the marital dwelling. Normal separation protocol would be to get aContinue reading “Lost in the Forest”

We Don’t Need No Stinking Fishing Pole

Back in the day, my late friend Jamie used to tell a whopper of a fish story. He told an elaborate tale about catching trout with his bare hands. No fishing pole, bare hands only. The story and the location and techniques employed stayed consistent with each telling, and Jamie always told it so wellContinue reading “We Don’t Need No Stinking Fishing Pole”