Horse Manure Park

Being a dad is a reciprocal thing.  I teach my children well their father's hell (to borrow a line from an old song) and they, in turn, teach me. A delightful aspect of having Tax Deductions is they tell you the truth.   They don't filter anything. "Dad, you smell bad." "Dad, you look nice." "Dad, you need to shave." "Dad, you have a booger on your chin." I appreciate the truth.  I like to be told how it is.  This is true in all aspects of my life; I dislike political correctness with a passion.  Over the years, Americans have hidden Truth (with an intentional capital "T") behind a wall of euphemisms and it is partly the reason why our country is in its current condition.   It has made us soft as a people.  We no longer face issues head-on.  The raw, naked truth hurts.  And Americans don't like to hear the truth. Fat people are no longer fat.  They are "metabolically challenged."  Ug

We are nearing Thanksgiving.  The madness of the Christmas rush is just a few days away.  The snow is here to stay.  The cold is unforgiving.  The sun sets around 4:30 PM.  Vitamin D is at a premium. Our first snowmen of the year.  Actually, they more of a dirt/snow hybrid.  Probably some dog crap in there, too. We are approaching that time of year where sun and sandals can only be found in distant lands, thousands of miles away.   Blech. Still, it is important to keep your focus on the goodness of life.  A couple of situations involving friends and family over the past few weeks have reminded me to never take life -- or happiness -- for granted. Don't take your health for granted. Don't take your relationships for granted. Don't take tomorrow for granted. I know that's all easily said.  It's much more difficult to practice, especially if things are going well for you. Remember, happiness and good fortune may not last very long.  Be thankful for to

Ever have one of those mornings when you have absolutely nothing planned for the day except to whip up a tasty Bloody Mary, watch a  Hogan's Heroes  marathon, and eat as much bacon as humanly possible? Then something totally unexpected comes up and, without warning, you find yourself knee-deep in the hoopla (to borrow a terrible line from a terrible song by a terrible band). Has that ever happened to you? Such was the case for me last Sunday. It started innocently enough.  The Girl and I were spending some quality father/daughter time early in the morning, snuggling in my easy chair with a blanket.  We talked about school, types of wolves, crayons vs. colored pencils vs. markers, the virtues of cheese pizza, how far away the moon was from the earth... You know, your typical eight year-old idle chatter. Then she suggested that we watch t.v. and said, "Let's watch one of your shows, Dad." It was too early for football, so I turned on the Science c

This might be just another day to most people, but it is special to me.  Even though she can't read this blog -- actually, she would have called the whole concept of the internet "science fiction" -- I want to wish my guardian angel the happiest of birthdays. My mom would have been 86 years old today. I have precious few photos of her, mostly because she was always the one taking pictures; she was always behind the camera.  Anyone in my family can attest to that. Many of the pictures I personally took of her aren't very flattering.  Most capture her scowling at the camera with her mouth wide open, most likely yelling at me to "hold the camera still!" or to get my "damn finger off the lens!"  Hey, I was just a kid.  And those Polaroids were huge... and tricky. But today I started rummaging through some of my old photos, determined to find a couple that captured Mom as she really was.  I actually had some luck. This first one was taken

The phone is silent tonight.  No one is ringing the doorbell.  The mailbox is empty. Yep, election day must be over.  I'm no longer the most important person in the world.  I've gone back to being a frickin' number.  Just like you. Americans have made voiced their two biggest concerns:  1) We don't want to catch Ebola. 2) We want to smoke pot. Duly noted. I reckon. Yes, the people have spoken.  And the politicians have said what you've wanted to hear to get your vote.  The lucky ones have been elected.  Now they can start concentrating on their personal agendas and their special interests.   That's politics.  Always has been, always will be.   I don't think there is a single Representative or Senator who truly cares for his/her constituency.  You don't become an elected official because you are a caring person.  Politics is a nasty, dirty, cut-throat business.  Only the dirtiest win. In their deepest, darkest recesses, e