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The Robins are Back
The robins are building their Hurrah’s nests in our back yard again. That’s about the only thing that has not changed. The COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic has changed just about everything else in our lives. I wear a face shield now at the hospital. We’re told to wear it as much as possible, like putting on…
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Terry Trueblood Trail Break
Today we took a break from the intensity of the pandemic and went out for a walk on the Terry Trueblood Trail. We were a little surprised at the crowd. There were more people there than we’ve ever seen before. We’re social creatures. After a while, we get a little tired of everything being about…
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Signs of Anecdotage
I remember when we were kids, we used to get gifts of fruitcake from well-meaning older ladies in our church. I think that’s where I first learned how to lie. If my little brother and I didn’t praise the weaponized loaf of glazed, syrupy candied fruit studded with rotten walnuts, we caught hell from Mom.…
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The Visible Flame
I began rereading the book Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison today, which is Leap Day. Given what little I know about Leap Day and Leap Year in general, there isn’t a connection. I first read Invisible Man well over 40 years ago. It was a paperback and I took it with me to Huston-Tillotson College…
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Facial Hair and the Masked Worker
I’ve seen the news warning us about how facial hair can interfere with the N95 respirator mask seal. It’s connected with the concerns about the novel coronavirus which you no doubt have heard unless you live under a rock. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reiterated their warning about how certain beard and mustache styles…
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I’m Late for Valentine’s Day
I’m a little late for Valentine’s Day, but you could give me a break because I’ve been a little busy being retired. Don’t throw things at me because I’m getting too old to duck. And I did get my wife a card, flowers, and some candy on time. It was something else I forgot. It’ll…
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Milestones
I got a nice, if puzzling surprise today. At a faculty meeting I was recognized for my 10-year anniversary of service at our hospital. It’s an important milestone, even if it is wrong. They scheduled this small event a couple of months ago, but I was too busy on the psychiatry consult service to break…
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Market to Market Memories
I’m a fan of Iowa Public Television (IPT) and I recall watching the show Market to Market, a show which I knew nothing about because it dealt with agriculture. Not everybody who lives in Iowa is a farmer, you know. I remember the days when Chet Randolph was the host. He had a wonderfully deep,…
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The Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk
I had so much fun with the giant chicken post on January 25, 2020 that I thought it would be nice to revisit the subject, only this time take a butt-freezing tour of the entire Iowa River Landing (IRL) Sculpture Walk. We took the walk Tuesday, January 28, 2020. The weather was typical for Iowa…
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A Giant Chicken
Last week, we were out at the Iowa River Landing (IRL) and saw a giant chicken. It’s actually a metal sculpture entitled Iowa Blue: The Urbane Chicken, 2013, one of 11 such works (all installed in 2013) of art making up the Iowa River Landing Sculpture Walk, located in the Coralville Marriott Hotel and Conference…
