The morning of Dec. 8 was like most Sunday mornings. I slept in a few hours later than usual and had a quiet cup of coffee while checking emails and statistics related to my book with the Investigation Discovery channel on in the background. That day was going to be a little different because I […]
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part X: An early gift from Mizzou Read More »
As I watched “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with my wife and daughter last week, it occurred to me that my great grandchildren and great great grandchildren will be watching it 50 years from now and beyond. Along with “Frosty the Snowman,” it’s always been my favorite animated Christmas show/movie, partly because of the nostalgia. My
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part IX: Ranking the animated Christmas shows Read More »
On an April day in 2019, my father and I stepped out of his house in rural Osage County to take a walk around his property. As we stepped onto the gravel 20 feet in front of his house, two sheriff’s deputies pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of us. Given my dad’s
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part XIII: The old man and Uncle Wayne Read More »
Christmas has always been a big deal to my family, and there have only been a handful times where I wasn’t with mine through the years. All of those were tied to my decade-long career in newspapers, one that included six publications and cities and 12 residences. Talk about your nomadic existence. I wasn’t away
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part VII: Christmas away from home Read More »
It’s amazing how the smallest thing can unlock a memory. That happened a few Sundays ago when we decorated the family Christmas tree. Before I get to that, though, I have to say the fact that the tree was even up was stunning. My wife has been adamant about not setting it up too early.
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part VI: Remembering ‘Woody’ and Lebanon Read More »
If you’ve read the annual Twelve Days of Christmas blog series, you’ve learned that video games were an important part of the big day (and my youth). Heck, while I don’t have much free time these days, I still fire up my Super Nintendo and NES Classic several times a year. I fell in love
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part V: Video games then and now Read More »
“As long as you’re alive, Dad is alive.” My old man said that several times on Father’s Day in 2012 while talking to John Henry, an uncle and my late grandfather’s brother-in-law and best friend. I’ve thought about that statement occasionally in the 12 years since. For my father, John was the last connection left
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part IV: The old man and John Henry Read More »
I’ve written at length about my father’s early transgressions. Needless to say, he fought the law a lot, and the law ultimately won. What began with stealing BBs from a hardware store in Baldwin, Kansas, steadily escalated. First, as a pre-teen, he began burglarizing the houses of the people on his newspaper route. Then, he
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part III: Why the old man finally found his way Read More »
“What’s the title?” In the years leading up to the release of “Goodbye, Butterfly: Murder, Faith and Forgiveness in a Small Kansas Town,” that was the question people asked more than any other. For six years, I didn’t have an answer. Book titles are tricky. They are also incredibly important. Without a good title, you’re
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part II: The origin of the title “Goodbye, Butterfly” Read More »
I’ve written in this space about nearly flunking kindergarten. If not for my father stepping in and telling Mrs. Booth “no,” I would have spent another year intentionally circling the wrong elephant on worksheets and graduated a year later from high school and college. My grades really didn’t improve until the third grade in 1984-85.
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part I: All is right with a Lite Brite Read More »
