Someone once told me that all crickets have worms inside them. I believe this unconditionally. And because of this “truth”, crickets occupy a special place in hell in my mind. (Supposedly, there is someplace in Iowa that sells them to eat -- supposedly they are crunchy and … tasty …)...
As a tradition for my family in August, I take each of my children back to school shopping. I look forward to it each year as it allows me to spend time with them individually and focus solely on them. I love those moments; they feed my soul. Each of...
I reluctantly canceled my backyard party today. I canceled because having a party - regardless of whether or not it’s outside -- is inconsistent with our current climate, per OSHA and the CDC. Just so you know, I hate this. I hate the new mandates of wearing masks and reliving...
Last week on Ragbrai, we were talking about the concept of “high maintenance” individuals. I proudly declared that I am not high maintenance. Everyone laughed. (…long deep sigh…) I attempted to defend my status by stating that yes, indeed I require a lot of attention and focus, but … Ok,...
I’ve been waiting for Ragbrai for a couple of years. It was well worth the wait. I’m writing this on Wednesday night (I had to check what day it was). It is hot. Hot as hell, but with high humidity (the devil’s shower room, I’d imagine). The evenings have been...
In May, we rolled out the Make It Ok program throughout our system to highlight better ways to respond and help someone that is struggling with mental health issues. Any of you that know me well, know that I am super passionate about the mental health services that we offer...
I hope everyone is having a great summer!! Hard to believe that it is almost the end of July. Flowers are beautiful, lawns are luscious and green, and I am pretty sure I heard a locust over the 4th of July weekend and have been hearing them ever since. What...
I’ve been walking my cat out into my yard the last couple of nights - holding her and walking around. She didn’t indicate a need to get down and walk on her own - I can’t imagine that she has any desire. I also imagine it’s all very interesting to...
Jacob takes off for his first official football camp this week, and he is somewhat excited but mostly nervous. We discussed it the other night, and I think the biggest driver of his nervousness is the fear of the unknown. He is unsure what they are going to be doing...
I janked up my knee pretty bad watering flowers a week ago. I thought it’d go away so I didn’t do anything. I’ve got Ragbrai coming up in a week, and I’ve been looking forward to it for 2 years so I chose to ignore it. Now it hurts like...
