“In politics, if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman.” — Margaret Thatcher

When I was a kid, I had the impression that the unpardonable sin was smoking. Now, my father smoked –– smoked as long as I can remember –– but we kids weren't supposed to. That was something that was just understood.

The Dutch are nervous. Not by nature, legalized drugs have made the Dutch less nervous, but more paranoid and/or hungry than they used to be.

Summer weather has arrived here in Nodaway County with hot "sticky" humidity and warm temperatures. The corn crop is starting to look better and the late planted, and replaced soybeans, are beginning to look like they may make a crop yet.

I don’t know how long he’d been standing there.

Watching me. In the dark. While I slept.

Back in December 1956, when I was just a boy, LaVern Baker and the Gliders took it to No. 17 on the pop chart. The second time around, in 1974, the group Black Oak Arkansas peaked at No. 25 with their version.

I've always been a believer in happiness. I love being happy. I've always tried to be a happy person. I like to make other people happy.

The front door opened slowly and my wife stepped in, her eyes pointing to the floor holding the same clothing she'd just taken to donate to the thrift store.

It appears perhaps that summer weather is finally going to arrive here in Nodaway County.

If you love something, set it free.
If it comes back, it is yours.
If it doesn’t, it never was.
If it comes back in 27 pieces, you probably need a mechanic.

“My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend and I Sure Do Miss Him.” Those lovely lyrics filled my ears as I drove own I-35. Then came “Red Neck, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer,” and I knew I should have stuck by my guns.

Some days it’s difficult to believe there’s justice in the world.

Vacation. A word so sweet your triglycerides rose to the level of Jabba the Hutt’s just by reading it. So, please, go to the emergency room – now.

Before moving to Maryville the first time around, back in 1988, there was a brief respite between jobs for a trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina and down the coast to Charleston and Beaufort, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.