Man, did I hit the jackpot. It was Christmastime in the fourth grade, and the richest kid in our class drew my name as a Not So Secret Santa. A toy car? A handheld video game? A set of really good baseball cards? Sky’s the limit! It was one of the few times I was […]
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part IX: Fast times at Maplecrest Elementary Read More »
An omelet cooked on a rock. A rainy night marred by mosquitoes. Sleeping in the back of a pickup truck in the middle of August. A two-mile walk to McDonald’s for lunch. And nearly being run over by a moving truck. All of that happened at my favorite craft show, the Festival of the Little
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part VIII: Dad and St. Charles, my favorite craft show Read More »
I knew going back to Kansas State for my sophomore year was going to be difficult. I learned earlier in the summer of 1995 that my best friend, who I roomed with as a freshman, wasn’t going back. Still a pseudo-brother 27 years later, Steve was my rock during that first year away from home.
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part VII: A tough decision made easy by dad, mentors Read More »
Note: This blog was written but not published in January 2019, two weeks after doctors diagnosed Dad with terminal cancer. He died seven months later. It’s been 13 days since we found out my dad had six months to live … It’s been a rough day. I’ve been melancholy from the moment I woke up.
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part VI: Back to the well Read More »
“Man, I like that wine.” That was 4-year-old me, pulling my brother along in a small, red wagon outside of a tiny house in Bloomer, Arkansas. I heard that story 100 times through the years. It was one of the old man’s favorites. Apparently, left to our own devices for just a few minutes, I’d
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part V: Bloomer where you’re planted Read More »
Standing before a large group of people in the library at Lebanon Junior High School, I nervously waited my next turn during the district spelling bee in the spring of 1987. We were down to six students, including three fifth-graders and three “older” kids. “I might actually have a chance at this thing,” I thought
Twelve Days of Christmas, Part IV: How in the heck did I misspell that? Read More »
Four years into the Twelve Days of Christmas blog series, which focuses mostly on my late father, I was beginning to worry that I might run out of material. That changed when I opened my MacBook for the first time in more than a year (my preference for PCs is a blog for another day)
Webb: Dad and Baldwin City, one of his favorite places and an early pathway to crime Read More »
My career as a student got off a rousing start. Less than a year into school, my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Booth, didn’t mince words with my father during a parent-teacher conference at Anderson Elementary School. “She wanted to hold you back. I’d never heard of anybody repeating kindergarten, but she didn’t think you were overly
Yes, I almost flunked kindergarten Read More »
I’ve driven down Highway 75 through Lyndon thousands of times on my way to see the old man, cover games, research my book, and for dozens of other reasons. For years, every time I drove through the small Osage County town, I looked to the right and took in my father’s old shop, memories running
Mud pits and a Sega: Happy 78th birthday, Dad Read More »
I’ve been walking a lot lately. Some of that is out of necessity. Because of a recurring back injury, I’ve altered my workout routine. No more running or elliptical. No more lifting like I’m training for the Olympic trials. Combine that with a treadmill that needs to be repaired, and the current regime includes lifting
Long walks help ease the pain three years later Read More »
