This past year as Sheriff has been challenging, eye opening, and rewarding. Overall, I truly love being Sheriff. A portion of the year was spent preparing for and handling a full murder trial, while also preparing for a second. What many people do not see is how much work happens long before ...
Let’s get one thing straight: words and phrases don’t always make sense. Some of them are outdated, some of them feel completely made up, and some of them exist solely to make you feel like you missed a day of school that everyone else attended. Am I sometimes willfully ignorant of the ...
Being mindful of good health and food preparation during this season’s great flu exchange, I thought it might be good to “review” kitchen health standards since I do all the cooking now. (Actually, I was viewing this info for the first time.) I discovered that 1 out of every 6 Americans ...
Another year with the Tama-Toledo News Chronicle has passed us by, faster than anyone may want to admit. With the New Year fast approaching, I want to take this opportunity to give a rundown of my year. Ups and downs, leaps and bounds, late nights and early mornings — everything was on the ...
Well, this is my last column of the year, and believe me when I tell you, I am not going to forget 2025 anytime soon. Chances are, I will at some point, Alzheimer's and insanity run in the family, but until then, it shall be stuck in my head. This year has been complicated, crushing, exciting, ...
The other day I was a-thinking. Yea, I do think every now and then but not too darn much so as to get a headache. But I was thinking, (money being no object), what would I give all of you for Christmas if I could. New cars for everyone came to mind; huge raises for all; the Christmas ...
I have been rattling my brain tonight to try and think up some of my family's Christmas traditions to talk about. I didn’t come up with much. There are two reasons for this. One: it seems like every Christmas changes in some way, and two: our traditions aren’t the norm. First off is the ...
Over the last couple of weeks, I think I’ve been pretty candid about the up-and-down nature of my life – what’s been weighing on me, what’s been interesting to me, and my general musings. All pretty typical for this column. But if I’m being honest, it’s felt a little less than ...
Once again, snow is on the ground, and chilly fun is being had by all. Snowmen are being made, snow angels are being crafted, and gladiatorial combat is being had with the snowball. Growing up, I didn’t usually have someone to have a snowball fight with. My Ma always obliged for a short ...
There are certain truths in life: snow falls in Iowa before we’re ready for it, the Wi-Fi drops right when you need to upload something important, and I will become sick at the most inopportune moment possible. Every time. Without fail. It’s truly remarkable how consistent I am at this one ...