The War of Words on Facebook
I’d be willing to wager that no one has won an argument on Facebook. We have the Right to Lifers and Pro Choice defenders at each other’s throats with neither side giving an inch while the NRA and the citizens who support various types of gun control villainize each other. The animal rights activists are exposing the livestock industry for its cruel practices and trying to shame those who don’t care or think the industry’s practices are best ignored. And, the political supporters of both the Republican and Democratic parties polarize and tear each other apart on Facebook. Too many people are spewing vitriol at one another in a ping-pong game of words in which no one ever wins. Read more 
Banning the Word “Strategic”
We have a strategic plan. It’s called doing things. ~Herb Kelleher
Strategic is one of those words that stop most people in their tracks. It’s a wow word, as in powerful, especially when used in conjunction with other words: strategic plan, strategic advice, strategic research, strategic communication, strategic marketing, strategic management, strategic innovation, strategic goals, strategic direction, strategic leadership, and my personal favorite: strategic partnership or alliance (what is so novel about working with other people, teams, or companies?). Read more
Why Every Individual Counts
On this very special day celebrating our nation’s birthday, I want to write about why every individual counts. There are nearly 320 million of us in this country – that’s a lot of people – enough to have made me think from time to time that what I do or don’t do really doesn’t matter. After all, I’m just one person – does it really matter if I eat a piece of grilled chicken, a slice of bacon, an ice cream cone or not think about the food chain in this country? Yes, it does and here’s why. Read more
What A Woman Of A Certain Age Wonders About
Middle age comes upon us quickly. First, we’re teenagers on the cusp of adulthood and then we’re in our 20’s and can’t wait to be 30 so we have a bit of credibility. We slide into our 30’s full of confidence and life becomes so busy that we wonder how did we all of a sudden become 40?
50 is just a blink away which brings big changes: our kids are grown or almost grown and we’ve entered an age where many things don’t matter anymore (a friend of mine calls these years the “Fu#% you 50’s”) and some things matter more than ever (like comfort, patience, logic, and compassion). We also have time to think about issues more deeply, especially: Read more
10 Kitchen Tips for My Younger Self
When I was 23 years old, I was asked to bring a dessert to a pot-luck luncheon at work so I decided to bring a homemade cheesecake. The night before, I got home from work late and didn’t have time to bring the cream cheese to room temperature so I took the 6 bars of Philadelphia Cream Cheese out of the refrigerator and proceeded to make the cake only to be asked the next day what the white clumps in my cheesecake were. Not one of my better baking moments but one I’ve never forgotten because I eventually learned that certain ingredients have to be at room temperature to blend properly. Read more
Lamar Briggs: 1935 – 2015
My approach to art is to open myself visually to the world around me as much as possible—by reading, traveling, collecting and just plain “seeing.” Music and color ‘flow’ for me. I paint to music and the music and rhythm speak to me more than any external experience. ~Lamar Briggs
My friend, Lamar Briggs passed away on Sunday afternoon. Just last week, I was in his hospital room where he sat wearing his signature cap, giving me grief about the “bird nest” on my head (his description of my poof), asking if I was still driving that “old lady car” (his words for the Caddie I bought last year), and telling me about a new CD he just received (Frank Sinatra with the Red Norvo Quintet, Live In Australia 1959) and how great it is. Although Lamar had been in and out of the hospital for the past 3 months, I knew he was feeling better because he also asked me to put a pair of bright yellow, white, and grey socks on his feet. Ever the colorist, Lamar always had a signature moment and that was the last one I shared with him. Read more
Marriage and The Stupid Man Card
Every time my husband yells a few choice words from the kitchen, I can pretty much guess he opened our high-tech dishwasher in the middle of the cleaning cycle causing hot water to spurt out like a fountain all over him and the floor. Predictable, yes because he does this relatively often claiming he didn’t know the dishwasher was on. I tell him he has to listen and he says “men don’t listen.” This week, I told him he isn’t allowed to pull the “stupid man card” in 2015. For those of you who don’t know what the “stupid man card” is, allow me to briefly explain. Read more
The Christmas Tree Trucks
Highway 163 is a 4-lane highway that runs approximately 60 miles from the west side of Des Moines east to Oskaloosa. A heavily traveled road, Highway 163 doesn’t look like a conventional highway with big green signs announcing well-marked exits. Instead, Highway 163 has thoroughfares (both paved and dirt) that link directly to the highway allowing drivers to enter and exit onto roads that surround crop farms and those that raise livestock – particularly cattle, hogs, chickens, and turkeys. Read more
Charity Checkout Contributions
In the United States, nearly every retail organization asks if you would like to make a charitable contribution to a good cause at the check out counter. Retailers love it because it makes them look caring (even if it’s on the back of customers) and often gives a tax write-off while charities love it because a lot of money is raised with very little cost (some companies do take a percentage as an administrative fee) while most customers dread it because they feel trapped and shamed into giving and this happens over and over every single day. Read more
Finding Compassion
Years ago in Sunday School, I was told the story of the beggar on the side of the road and remember thinking how unkind the people ignoring this human being were. He obviously needed help and yet most people walked right by. Fast forward a few thousand years and the dirt roads are now paved but men and women are still on the sidelines asking for help. Most people ignore them because they are afraid, think the person should be working, or that the money will be used to buy drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes. Read more
Paddock Post 