I began my military career some thirty years ago as missile launch officer stationed at Whiteman Air Force Base, outside of Knobnoster, Missouri, which was right next to nowhere.   Knobnoster, was a booming town of 2,709 god fearing farm community citizens, whose biggest claim to fame was being mentioned in the Television movie The Day After, … Continue reading Put the Message in the Box

What’s up with all of these psychedelic hair colors the kids are sporting nowadays? It reminds me of 80s punk rockers, but without the spikes. Maybe they forego the spikes because their hair won’t fit into selfies. After all, selfies are how teenagers make their presence known to the world. I suspect that teenagers worry … Continue reading Haircut 100 (It Takes All Kinds Merle)

We called my father a lot of names: “Stinky Bill”, “Old Red Eyes” and “Wild Bill”. But, the one that stuck for us kids was, “The Old Man.”  We used it in a rather respectful and fond way, like in the movie Big Jake where John Wayne called his dog, “Dog.” In his later years we referred to him more respectfully as “Pops” and his siblings called him Billy or … Continue reading Westy

I distinctly remember when my C-130 military transport flight landed at Camp Victory, Iraq, it was O-dark thirty but already stifling hot.  We made a combat landing, which means a steep circling descent, much like a plane crash, only with style, like Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story. When they opened the back end of the … Continue reading Self Release

  (My apologies to John Steinbeck-Damn Straight) Mike was a bear of a man, a towering six foot four and a hefty 26o or more pounds. We never were quite sure of his exact weight since 260 was as high as the scale would go, but it probably was much more judging by the way … Continue reading Of Mike and Men

I am probably the “worstest” dad ever, “worstest” being the word my daughter Madison called me when she was seven and I wouldn’t buy her a bale of blue cotton candy at a local festival.  It’s not that I was afraid that it would rot her teeth, but rather I didn’t want her spinning like … Continue reading Madison Buzzards in the Sky

I recently helped my wife purchase a new car, which by the way is a radically different experience than when I buy a car. I typically asks questions about horsepower, handling, and price, my wife on the other hand has a keen interest in the color of the instrument dials and a place to set … Continue reading Lane Departure Warning