Reading at Home

Living on the hill, I don't recall my Father owning a book. Nor my Mother. Of the two, I lean toward Dad as the most likely to own one, but I have nothing other than a gut feeling to back that up. It wasn't a house without print--just without books. Just some random comment guides me on this. I remember asking Dad about his schooling in England--just nothing more than a simple, "So, how far did you get?" He said, "It would have been the same as 7th Grade over here." Over here. "So, Mom, how about you?" She said, "I had to go to work. I dropped out after the 5th Grade." I think I was in 8th Grade when I got these nuggets, because I remember thinking that I was in new territory for them. I think I was in the 5th Grade when I owned my first book, something that didn't come from school. My sister gave me my first book, TOWER TREASURE, by Franklin W. Dixon. It was a Hardy Boys book. I loved it and really started living the books--identifying with Frank and Joe. I identified more with Joe--he was blond, good looking, resourceful, and the one person that everyone else in the story seemed to confide in. In short, he was nothing like me, but everything I wanted to be. I had to read the next book, because I was now part of the Hardy's lives. I wanted to be part of their adventures. I, too, wanted to be one of the "chums" who helped them solve mysteries. I wanted to be part of that detective family. The books were hard covered and cost one dollar. Dad would give me a dollar when I found another one to buy. I treasured those books and vowed to read them more than once. As far as the folks, it wasn't that they never read. They mostly read the newspaper, and Dad would occasionally buy a detective magazine. It's just a little ironic that I became an English teacher with a house full of books.

Work in Progress

A writing project I've been grinding away at for years will have to be completed by the end of this year. I'm putting myself on notice. My memoir project has been a disaster to conceive and generate. I'm not a *changer of history* or some significant innovator but just an Ordinary Joe trying to do the best he can. I celebrate the ordinary because that's where most of us land. Don't we all just want to be remembered? And, who better to tell our story but each one of us. My Dad came from a long line of Cornish miners who immigrated to the United States--men who worked long hours for small pay. My Mom was just a survivor of everyday disasters that happen to us all. She always said, "Dad was always a good provider." Her unspoken next line was that she was determined not to waste any of it. She was the mid-twentieth century homemaker who shopped, cooked, cleaned, and kept the fires burning at home--and was damn proud of it. Bars and taverns were the social environments that I became accustomed to in a mining town. It's where my parents' friends gathered. They were places to connect with others who worked in the mines and in the homes. So, what can rise out of those ashes? That's what I've struggled with for years. Is it worth telling? In some ways, I've felt like a sand-lot player in the big-leagues, someone who's a bit in over his head with nearly everything but still willing to swing at the next pitch. It's never stopped me from trying something new. I guess I've been a bit of an actor all my life, hoping no one would ever find out how incompetent I feel to excel. And in the process, I think I've excelled at least part of the time. It's time to get it down, even if its down and dirty.

ISU: Game 2/Pocatello

Everything is new about Bengal Football, and I love it. It was great to see the Dome starting to fill up for the first time in years. 8000+ can't be wrong! We brought our 5-year-old grandson to the game and he absolutely was thrilled with the experience. He got a stadium horn and medium-sized t-shirt and he announced it to everyone he saw. He's wearing this shirt hanging down to his ankles and he proudly announces, "And this is a medium shirt!" By the end of the game, he was blowing his horn with the best of them. I tried to teach him about when to blow it but all he understood was making noise. I'm thinking that a lot of other youngsters were blowing them at the wrong time too, but it's hard to find fault with enthusiasm. At ISU's Dome, we need all the noise we can handle--even if it's out of control.
My thanks to all those responsible for "Fan Appreciation Day"! I liked the shirts and the designs. I saw the "Kramer's Krazies" and wanted one. A student said they had gotten them in the dorms. Hey, that tells me someone is working overtime to get students involved. Somebody paid for all those shirts and passed them out to people free. Thanks for that.
The new field looks absolutely awesome! The new ISU team playing on it is providing something for people to be excited about! I sincerely appreciate all the planning and work by the coaches and every single team member. This is game two, and I've seen them both. If you haven't seen one, it's time to reach for a schedule and your wallet. You won't be disappointed.

College Football

I could easily be
the Patron Saint
of Lost Causes.

I am the underdog.

My Bengals will play
WSU Cougars Saturday.

My heart will be wearing
Orange & Black at 2 PM.

My personal colors
could be black & blue.

The Un-Quotables

In our national conversation, those who talk about the Founding Fathers the most seem to know the least about them. Sadly, we are sucked into their twisted, manipulative logic. This is just a quick sample; much more is available for an opposing view.


"Why has government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice, without constraint."
--Alexander Hamilton (The Federalist Papers, 1787)

"Religion is very improperly made a political machine."
--Thomas Paine (Rights of Man, II, 1792)

"Time makes more converts than reason."
--Thomas Paine (Common Sense, 1776)

"In general, the great can protect themselves, but the poor and humble require the arm and shield of the law."
--Andrew Jackson (Letter to John Quincy Adams, August 26, 1821)

“When public virtue is gone, when the national spirit is fled…the republic is lost in essence, though it may exist in form.”
--(John Adams, 1808)

New National Vision

United Corporations of America

“When public virtue is gone, when the national
spirit is fled…the republic is lost in essence,
though it may exist in form.” (John Adams, 1808)


Outsource jobs?
How about insource
income for Americans?

National emergency
from hurricanes,
floods, tornadoes,
drought, earthquakes?

Just call an private
business for help.

Your child is near
death, broken and
bleeding on I-15?

Just call a business
for a bid and go
with the lowest.

Our country has been
invaded by another country?

Just call the NRA
phone tree for help
in your local area.

Your house is burning
and your family is
trapped at 1:00 AM?

Just call a corporation
for help during
business hours.

Kellogg Fire Report

Just discovered a news story about a fire in Kellogg, Idaho <http://t.co/CGLcH8B>. Emergency responders were quick to save lives and property. I think that too often we do not appreciate that community emergencies depend upon effective community solutions. Thank you to all first responders who put their lives at risk to save others. You are the glue that holds our communities and our Nation together.