Stray Thoughts: Nests

As I sit in my backyard, surrounded by bird feeders, I am wondering more and more about what birds think.

What does love mean?

The question was posed to 4 to 8-year-olds. Here are some of their answers: “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore... So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.

Why send our dollars to other states?

Like many of you, my wife Penny and I are conservative when it comes to spending. We’ve lived in our home for more than 50 years, and we don’t drive the newest cars.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Last winter we bought a small, unfinished shed to use as a rustic bunkhouse for guests. “And I can use it sometimes for writing and recording,” I told my husband, thinking how nice it would be to work in the quiet every once in a while.

Our Antiviral Founding Father

When the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, the American colonies still needed to win the Revolutionary War to truly gain their independence from the British Empire. The war continued another seven years until September 3, 1783.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

Our patio is a cement slab that was laid in the 1970s. The cement is circled by a chokecherry tree, several stooped elms, and a lilac bush, making the space a cool, green cove most hours of the day.

Affective vs. Effective

Just recently, a female hammer thrower qualified for the Olympic games, and protested when the anthem of her (our) nation was played. She turned her back and hid her face under a t-shirt while those who threw farther stood tall.

Health care access for rural Americans

For most of us, seeing the doctor means making a trip to the local clinic to see our primary care physician in person, but an increasing number of patients are seeing their doctor remotely by telehealth, using two-way video telecommunication technology.

Our democracy is being threatened

I was honored to teach political science courses at SDSU for 38 years.

Little Pasture on the Prairie

The high temps during early June meant we put our two ancient air-conditioning units in the windows early too. My poor husband says he starts dreading this yearly procedure the moment he takes them out in the fall.