-
Thoughts on the Mason City 1884 Civil War Statue
Sena and I got to talking about Central Park in Mason City, Iowa. I remember my brother, mother and I taking a walk there occasionally. One time we saw a man who lost his legs and who got around using a small platform on wheels. Later in life, I wondered if he was a disabled…
-
“Our Hidden Conversations” is a Very Tough Book to Read
As I approach the end of the book “Our Hidden Conversations” by Michele Norris, I find myself doing what I often do when I feel uncomfortable emotionally. I start to deploy my sense of humor. As a psychiatrist (now retired since 2020), I learned early in my residency training that humor can be thought of…
-
Sweethearts on a February Stroll
Yesterday, we went out for a walk because it was a pretty nice day for February. All the snow was pretty much gone. We saw a hawk who also saw us. We approached the tree it was perched in very slowly. It tolerated our attention until we got too close for comfort—and flapped off in…
-
The Big Tomato On The Vegetable Hamburger, Please!
Sena bought a pretty big tomato at the grocery store the other day. When she picked it up, she said to a store employee that she was going to make a huge “vegetable hamburger” with it. Evidently, the guy didn’t know what to make of the name “vegetable hamburger” because he asked her why she…
-
How to Remove the Blade Guard from the RESQME Car Escape Tool
I just found out how hard it is to remove that blade guard from the RESQME car escape tool. You can’t waste time busting a gut trying to pull that out when you’re about to drown while your car is sinking in a flood. You might need the blade to cut your seat belt. That’s…
-
How About That Rad Composer and Bird Watcher Antonin Dvorak?
I thought I would share a couple of ideas about the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak. I’m not a music expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I enjoy listening to classical music on the Music Choice Classical Masterpieces channel. Music Choice always have interesting bits of biographical information about the musicians. The items about…
-
Black History Month: James Spaights Concert Pianist
I was thinking about my time as a student at Huston-Tillotson University in the 1970s (then Huston-Tillotson College) and remembered somebody who was a student there. His name is James Spaights. In honor of his stature in music as it connects to the Black History Month theme of African Americans and the Arts, I just…
-
Black History Month 2024 Theme is African Americans and the Arts
February is Black History Month and in 2024 the theme is African Americans and the Arts. This reminds me of a blues artist I heard on KCCK on the Big Mo Blues Show last Friday. His name is Toronzo Cannon and his career as a blues guitarist and songwriter is skyrocketing. I heard his song…
-
Old Doctors vs Young Doctors
I ran across a recently published web article that originated from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), to which I don’t have access because I’m not a subscriber. The title is “Do Younger or Older Doctors Get Better Results?” and it’s in the form of an essay by Pete Ryan. It’s been picked up by over…
-
Sena Says Chase Away the Winter Blues, Try Lume!
Sena said I could give you an update on the Lume products. Remember, she said this was OK. She’s actually happy with the product. She uses it as recommended by the creator, who recommends applying it “under boobs, butt crack, pits,” and so on. That’s how the commercials go. We shoveled snow and scraped ice…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 