Horse Manure Park

 It is the start of a new year, but it hasn't gotten off to a very good beginning. One of our best friends passed away on 7 January. Humphrey was a rescue from Minnesota Boxer Rescue. He was part of our family for 7 1/2 years. He was such a sweet, lovable boy. Happy, goofy, curious.  On the kitchen rug, in the way as usual. Waiting for his kids to come home. It is always difficult to lose a beloved pet. It is far worse to see your children go through such heartbreak. I've never really had to guide a child through loss before. There's no instruction manual for that. But my kids are wonderful. They are my inspiration to be a better human.

Today I finally did something which I've been thinking about doing for months now. I've finally logged off Facebook and washed my hands of it. I call Facebook "The Great Experiment Gone Terribly Wrong." It is one of those ideas which seemed great in theory: keeping connected with friends and family you don't get to see often. What a great way to stay in touch! Sounds nice. But something happened on the way to heaven, as Phil Collins would say. At some point Facebook got ugly. It got gross. It happened about four years ago, toward the dawn of the presidential election of 2016. A line was drawn in the sand. It became the MAGA cult (by definition, that's what it is) on the attack and on the defense, against the rest of the world. Democrat versus Republican. It quickly dissolved into a perceived Good versus Evil. So-called Patriots versus Snowflakes. And there it has remained. Civilized discourse was severed like a head in a guillotine. Friends started fighting wi...

I am reading a fantastic new book by Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch called The Lincoln Conspiracy . It is an impeccably researched true account of the first plot to kill Abraham Lincoln prior to his inauguration in 1861.  Many of you have already stopped reading, but those who haven't, this might be interesting to you.  Much of this book centers around Lincoln's journey by railroad from Springfield, IL to Washington D.C. where he is to be sworn in as the country's 16th president.  Whenever I read history, I pay special attention to what many consider the trivial details. Personally, I think real history is in the forgotten notes. That's the good stuff.  This is a particular trivial footnote in Lincoln's history that fascinated me. In February 1861, Lincoln's train made a stop in the town of Westfield, New York, along the shores of Lake Erie. Prior to this stop, Lincoln recognized the town's name on the itinerary and requested to meet a special resident of Wes...

I've always loved useless knowledge. Trivial stuff. Interesting facts that really don't mean a whole lot in the big picture. This little quirk about me isn't always a good thing. I found history so interesting that my first college degree was a BA in American history. Basically, I went to college for fun (a rather expensive way to have a good time, by the way). Two other degrees followed. And no, I'm not boasting. On the contrary, I am embarrassed by the fact I had no focus or direction when I was younger. I wasted a lot time, energy and tuition just floating down the river of books and term papers. So that's my story. Once upon a time my mind traveled "any way the wind blows," to lift a line from a song. As I've gotten older, I am much more focused , but I still love useless knowledge. I guess it is in my DNA. But history has always intrigued me, especially quirky bits of history.  Since you are reading my blog, I know you're smart and you might h...

There has not been a live sporting event on television for a couple of months now and I'm reaching the depths of despair.  The wide world of sports have always been one of my main escapes from the real world and I'm not afraid to confess that I really, really   miss it. So how desperate am I to watch a little friendly competition? Well, yesterday I watched Korean baseball.  For real. Korean baseball.  The game featured the Samsung Lions versus the LG Twins. The game interested me deeply because my Samsung television is connected to an LG soundbar. I mean, what are the chances? (Trust me, I can't make this stuff up).  Members of the LG Twins, whose names I cannot pronounce. As the contest unfolded, the broadcasters (who were quarantined in their own hotel rooms, watching the game on t.v.) remarked that Korean baseball was different from Japanese baseball, which itself was different from American baseball.  To be honest, it looked like baseball to me. And it ...

Little Richard died yesterday, Saturday, 9 May 2020. Just when you thought this year couldn't get much worse.  So now, all of my "Mount Rushmore of Rock and Roll" icons are dead. I've always regarded Little Richard and Chuck Berry as 1A and 1AA on my Mount Rushmore of Rock and Roll. Both rose to fame at about the same time. Berry, who died in 2017, is known as the "Father of Rock and Roll," Little Richard as the "Architect of Rock and Roll." It is impossible to say which was more influential.  My third icon is Fats Domino, who also passed away in 2017. Domino is inexplicably overlooked by many critics, yet he's credited by everyone from the Beatles to Elvis Presley as an enormous influence; not only was Domino an innovative songwriter, he was a Billboard monster, scoring thirty-seven Top 40 singles in his career. Many music historians say Domino recorded the first rock and roll record, which was also the first of its genre to sell a million cop...

The COVID-19 chronicles continue. Yesterday Adam Schlesinger passed away. He formed the band Fountains of Wayne, had a big hit "Stacy's Mom," a song I always liked. He also wrote "That Thing You Do" for the Tom Hanks directed film of the same name. That's another great song. Schlesinger was only 52 years-old. Just a few days ago Joe Diffie, a huge country star from the 1990's also died from the virus. This is getting crazy. I am afraid it is only the tip of the iceberg. Not much happening these days. The snow is melting. The kids are zipping right along with their distance learning like pros. Normally this is an optimistic time of year -- spring!! -- after a long cold winter. But I think most people are feeling a bit of anxiety with this whole COVID-19 thing. Maybe "a bit" isn't strong enough. "a significant amount" is probably closer. We now have two cases in Crow Wing county. It is coming. I've been on a John Mellencam...

Not many folks blog anymore. Social media giants like Facebook and Twitter dug the blogger's grave; Snapchat and Instagram buried it. YouTube officiated the services. But the world being what it is right now -- the first pandemic in over a hundred years and the entire country being urged to "Stay At Home," -- this seems like a good time to starting blogging again for a few reasons: My own sanity I like to write I can say anything I want and not have to worry about offending someone or getting into an argument with someone on social media. My first blog entry right here was on October 25, 2007. I didn't have much to say, just a few meandering thoughts... not much has changed in 13 years. Like most bloggers, I fell victim to the ease of other social media platforms. But I've decided to go back to the beginning, so to speak. Every now and then I explore other blogs (usually to find inspiration) and once in awhile I find something really interesting. One...

It seems this is a really good time to start blogging again. Maybe just jotting down my thoughts here as we wade through these unprecedented times, as a way of holding on to my sanity. I don't "promote" this site anymore like I used to; trying to come up with something "interesting" to write several times a week was just too much while trying to balance work and family. I'm not writing for an audience, just for myself. Being here in my own little blog world is far more healthy than going on social media and getting into arguments with people. I can't do that anymore. There is so much misinformation regarding this COVID-19 pandemic; conspiracy theories and an unlimited number of false, misleading claims. And everyone is an expert, especially if they went to the University of Facebook. I keep reminding myself that we are living in a truly historic moment right now; we will look back on this and say "Remember when?" someday. This is tempora...

I don't know which is harder to believe... that it has been four months since my last confession or that in 2009, I made 156 of these blog entries. There was a time when I couldn't wait to sit down and write about something. Now it is just so much easier to post a thought on Facebook or Twitter and be done with it rather than sit down and actually write an organized, well thought-out piece. Unfortunately, social media sites have become frothing-at-the-mouth political hotbeds. One must not even make a joke about something for fear offending or angering a friend or relative (or complete stranger). I have found it is much safer to keep my thoughts to myself (it is not as though I do not have an opinion!). Social media sites have become little more than arenas for folks to throw verbal barbs at one another, rather than engaging in intelligent discourse or debate. Everyone must prove their "rightness." No one is willing to listen to the other side. The older I get, the...

It is fishing opener in Minnesota. This weekend, along with deer hunting opener, are as close to state holidays as you can possibly get. But anyone who knows me understands that I fish and hunt about as much as I skydive and bungee jump. I am, however, always fishing to make my Bloody Mary recipe perfect and I am always on the hunt for something new and exciting. Okay, enough of the cute word play. I love my Bloody Marys year round, but we are getting close to summer and this refreshing cocktail will be hitting peak season soon. Because of this, I thought it would be fun to share with my readers something new I am trying with my Bloody Marys. Over the years I've experimented with all sorts of variations in my never-ending search for the perfect Bloody Mary. My attempts fail more often than not, but every now and then I stumble upon something brilliant. The following is one of those cases. The original recipe I'm sharing isn't mine (it can be found at www.thekitche...

A chilly April morning. Overcast skies. Snowing just north of us. Yesterday it was 70ºF. Go figure. This is a good time to sit inside with a cup of coffee and catch up a bit. We took advantage of a beautiful sunny day yesterday to get outside and accomplish a few overdue tasks. Most significantly (for me), I bought a new grill. I believe this is the third one I've owned since buying our house 16 years ago. I use and abuse my grills until they literally fall apart.  That's true for most things in my life. The first grill I bought, years ago, was a colossus: a four burner with BTUs the equivalent of a small sun. It also had one of those sidecar thingamajigs for boiling a pot of water or frying a pan of bacon.  It was a nice feature and a great selling point which I used exactly once .  Yes, I paid way too much for it. I was caught up in the excitement of being a new home owner... I could grill when and where I wanted on the premises of my very ...

Sinatra once sang, "Regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention." I'm happy to say that  line applies to my life for the most part, although if I could hop in a time machine there is one thing I would change. You see, my children never met my parents. Even though the circumstances were far beyond my control, I have always felt guilty about that. I know this is irrational thinking. When I graduated from high school there is no way I could have known I would lose my mother in less than two years. Indeed, no one can see into the future (and that might be the greatest gift God has ever given us). But the guilt remains: Deep inside my psyche I fear I've cheated my kids. Because of this, I talk about my parents frequently with my girl and boy. I tell them stories all the time; things my dad would do or something my mom would say. At least once every summer we make sure to camp at "the farm," as we call it; this is where my parents liv...

I spent a good part of my day off today doing research on my family tree. Today was mostly a day of dead ends and cold trails. Some times the documenation ends and you have nowhere left to go. Today was one of those days. But even on days when I hit a brick wall, I still learn plenty. That's why I find researching my family history so intriguing. It is never a waste of time. One interesting detail I looked into today was mentioned in the McGowan family history book which my parents bought some 35 years ago. The authors of the book stated that for years there had been family folklore suggesting John Cabell Breckinridge, Vice President of the United States under James Buchanan (and later, Secretary of War under Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States of America), was a distant relative. At the time the book was published (1982), the authors could find no connection. A bit of a backstory here: my great-great-great grandmother's maiden name was Ann "Nancy" Breck...

I have to mark time on this day! I have, at last , figured out an enduring mystery on my mom's side of the family. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to finally solve this crazy, convoluted story! In the last couple of days, I have uncovered new information on my maternal great-great-great and great-great-great-great grandparents. I am finding much of my mom's ancestry can be traced back to Ireland. I am more Irish than I previously believed. More on that in a later post. Today was a great victory for Sam the Sleuth. My Campbell and Walker cousins will enjoy this too, because (obviously) this pertains to them as well. You see, for as long as I can remember, my mom and dad told me that we were related to Abraham Lincoln. They weren't quite sure how, but they thought Nancy Hanks (Lincoln's mother) had a connection to our family. So today I decided, using the relatively limited resources at my disposal, if I could figure out that connection (if, in fact, ther...

John Campbell was born in Tyrone County, Northern Ireland on 1 August 1821. He immigrated to the United States when he was seven years old. On 13 August 1844, in Montreal, Canada, he married Mary White (also known as LaBlanc in some records). Mary was born on 19 April 1829 in Saint-Martin, Quebec, Canada. Presumably, she spoke fluent French. On 18 October 1868, John and Mary had their ninth (and last) child, a son they named William Barnabus Campbell. On 14 September 1874, Margaret McGowan was born to David and Sarah McGowan. Margaret's great-grandfather was John McGowan, who was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1784 and immigrated to the U.S. on 10 July 1804. On the day after Christmas in 1891, William Campbell and Margaret McGowan were married in Mantorville, Minnesota. William and Margaret Campbell Seventeen years later, they had a daughter on this day, 31 March 1908. They named her Wilma Jerusha Campbell. Wilma is my grandmother and the matriarch of my Walker ...

By nature, I'm not a very spontaneous person. While I'm certainly not a "Type A" personality, I do like things to be organized and I like to have a "plan." There is a method to the madness: it prevents me from being indecisive and it keeps me from running in circles. But now and then I do things off-the-cuff and those moments often result in great memories. A perfect example: In early 1995 I had the opportunity to perform in Las Vegas in the orchestra of a local theater troupe. Long story short, the drummer of the orchestra had quit just a couple weeks before the scheduled performance in Vegas (at the Judy Bayley Theatre at UNLV) and I was asked if I'd be willing to assume the percussion duties on such short notice -- if so, my flight and accommodations would be taken care of. I was single at the time and had no reason to stay in one place, so I threw caution to the wind and hopped on the plane. Besides, I already knew the music! But that's jus...

I hate it when I have to go to Walmart. Well, I guess I shouldn't say I have to go, I choose to go.  The same way I choose to drink a twelve pack of beer and a pint of brandy, even though I know it will result in a horrible headache the next day. I guess it is part of an unconscious inner self-loathing I am afflicted with and I suppose I need serious professional help. I always tell myself Walmart is closer to home and they usually have better prices, so to Walmart I go. The one good thing about it is I always find a pretty good story or at least something interesting to share. Today was no different. So this morning, I spirited through the store getting what I needed. Surprisingly, it was fairly uneventful except when I passed the electronics section. Two people were trying to buy TracFones and the overweight, perspiring, balding Associate was clearly overwhelmed. When a third customer with a shopping cart full of Ol' Roy, Red Bull and Tampax wandered up to the desk, Pe...