BACK IN THE SADDLE

It was time to correct a mistake

I dug the hole in the wrong place. As Mother Nature has reminded me. More than 20 years ago, we moved into our house in Portland.

Reading negotiations came to halt

Some serious negotiations are under way at our house, and Harry Potter is involved. No, not the wizard himself. The books. It started long before the latest in J.K. Rowling’s string of best-sellers hit the bookshelves — or, in the case of LoBill’s in Portland, the produce shelves.

Column sparked reader response

You never know what’s going to prompt a response from readers.

The right grill finally came along

I’ve finally found the grill of my dreams. That’s not a typo. I found the girl of my dreams back in 1968 and married her in 1971. The grill of my dreams was a gift on Father’s Day.

Old road has disappeared to history

The rows of corn kept marching in neat lines, east to west, north to south. There wasn’t any hint of northwest or southeast to be seen. Any trace of what I was looking for had long ago been erased by passing time.

Everyone needs a friend like Andy

These days, when a storm front is approaching, I can feel it in my knuckles. The combination of age and a lifetime of work at typewriters and computers has given me some variation of carpal tunnel or arthritis. Most of the time, it’s just a nuisance. But the knuckles really …

Freedoms don’t extend everywhere

Anna shook her head in disbelief. “That sounds like kindergarten journalism,” said the voice in my headset, translating her words.

Time goes by quickly at 4-H auction

Pete Shawver leaned over and asked, “How many years?” Good question. Melodi Haley and I had been talking about that same thing earlier in the week.

How much have we really changed?

The ugliness of it was casual, and that made it even uglier. Growing up in Jay County in the middle of the last century, my generation was awash in casual racism. It was something we inherited from those who went before us, but by the 1960s it was also something …

The only choice was to sing along

The first time I saw them, they were “The Rick Z Combo.” It was a spring dance when I was in high school, one of those girl-ask-boy things that were known back in the day as a Sadie Hawkins dance. (If that reference escapes you, you’re too young to remember …

Cluelessness is widespread issue

You’ve probably heard of the “Stockholm Syndrome.” That’s a psychological effect which occurs when people who have been taken hostage start to identify with and side with the very people who took them hostage. At our house, we keep track of the “Stratford Syndrome.”

Old grill outshined shiny, new options

Backyard cooking combines some basic elements that strike a chord in the primordial soul of most men. It has it all: Fire, meat, smoke, sharp objects, solitude, control, and a chance to work outdoors. What could be better? But now someone’s decided that a basic grill is not enough.

Redesign is a complicated process

If you want to talk about typefaces, count me out. The CR's re-design process, which culminated last week in the launching of the daily newspaper's new look, has been a long, remarkable road.

Distracted driver ruins a nice trip

It was a Thursday afternoon, and I was headed for Muncie. It’s not one of my favorite drives, but there was a meeting at Minnetrista that I had to attend. And the sun was shining, so it seemed to be a pretty good recipe for spring fever: A little windshield …

Mowing lawn was a waiting game

It looks as if I won’t be needing a scythe. Thanks to Sunday’s sunshine, I was finally able to mow the lawn, a fact which should give our neighbors — who have been much better about mowing this spring than I — some comfort.
PORTLAND WEATHER

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