Knock Knock, Who’s There?

  When the doorbell rings at 7:30 in the morning at our house..followed by a rapid knock on the door..my first instinct is that something is very wrong; there’s been an accident or the house is on fire..something like that. Usually, I’m just waking up at that hour but this morning I had to go…

Jesse James’ Flying Leap

Ah ha…I’ll bet you thought by the title that this was going to be about that heavily tattooed motorcycle building  TV Daredevil Jesse James who somehow wound up as the husband of beautiful superstar,  Sandra Bullock, only to cheat on her with a variety of shadowy tattooed babes..while she was off making Oscar award winning…

Taxes, Travel & Tunes

“Hi, Doug, this is Marilyn from Doug Amen’s office. We have your taxes done.” That annual phone call is usually like money in the bank because it means a refund will be coming our way. Not this time, though. For a variety of reasons, we have to pay in this year; only a couple hundred…

Thanks Dave

I’m having a bit of a dilemma as I sit here thinking about writing a comment or two concerning the upcoming election in Sioux Falls; especially the mayor’s race. Just by saying who I’d like to win will surely alienate and infuriate a lot of you who favor another candidate and think I must be…

Easter On The Farm

It’s early Tuesday morning and I’m sitting here in the dark with only the light of my computer screen offering up a soft blue glow to the room. Blue describes my feelings too because I can hear it raining outside and the wind is supposed to start howling again which means no golf with the guys…

Vermillion’s National Treasure

I was about 12, I suppose, when our Boy Scout troop took a field trip to Brookings and the home of Arne B. Larson to see his collection of musical instruments from all over the world. I don’ know if you’ve seen the TV show “Hoarders” but they have nothing on Arne B. I remember…

Let’s Rock Some More

STP What comes to your mind when you see those three letters together or hear them spoken? I picture a motor oil additive that, for years, was the primary sponsor on the racing cars of Richard Petty and Mario Andretti. My grown-up kids, on the other hand, are more likely to associate STP with a…

Still Rockin’ & Rollin’

Can you stand one more story about my old Lincoln..fondly dubbed, “White Lightning”? When the air shock absorber system failed last Fall, it was the last straw; 900 bucks to fix. With the rust growing like melanoma on a mission, a finicky heater, faulty driver-side window, leaky power steering unit and 188 thousand miles, she…

Doesn’t Make Any Census

Tell me..what was your first thought when you received a letter from the U.S. Census Bureau urging you to be sure and fill out and return your 2010 census form which will be arriving in a week or so? I believe Linda’s words were “I wonder how they can justify sending out all those letters…