Life, love and faith

Practically every day for almost five weeks, my wife and I watched two determined bluejays build a nest in the V of an oak tree outside our den window.  They showed up early, usually by daybreak, to begin their labor.

'An April morning can make us sing'

Spring mornings are a lot like Christmas.  Each day, we get up and go out into the yard … or walk along the creek or visit the horses in the pasture.  And each day, each morning, we find something new the sun has brought us.

Hargrove and Crozier: heroes or villains?

Let’s think about Detroit bus driver Jason Hargrove. He was a hard-working, public employee, who got so upset over an unprotected coughing passenger that he went on Facebook to bitterly complain about unappreciated blue collar workers not being respected as they labored to serve the public.

Ways to keep healthy during quarantine

Let’s admit the fact that the stay-at-home order related to the COVID-19 virus made everyone quite impatient, restless, upset and any other negative feeling you can think of. People have been asking about when will the normalcy of our lives be back once again.

Be wary of coronavirus protocol

I was reminded by historian Dr. Philip Jenkins, Baylor University, that pandemics and plagues were a normal occurrence in ancient and not so ancient times.  I know religious services and public gatherings were banned during the polio era of the 1950’s.

Mark Twain ... for President

What if Mark Twain were around today to run for president? Well, he actually threatened to run 141 years ago, but he apparently changed his mind, or else found funnier material. He wrote an essay, “Running for President,” which appeared on June 9, 1879.

How do our leaders make tough decisions?

The higher up you are in government, the tougher the crisis management job. Mayor’s and county officials must make local decisions, like closing certain roads and how much to invest in emergency medical services.

Shelter-in-place isn't sustainable

Over the past two weeks, Gov. Roy Cooper and local officials have imposed a regulatory regime of increasing severity on North Carolinians.

'A volcano is erupting!'

April 1 … clear wonderful morning … members of the world dilemma think tank down at the Mule Barn coffee shop looked around. “Anyone seen Dud this morning?” “Not me. Haven’t seen Herb, either, come to think of it.” “Hey, that’s right,” Steve said.