Posted December 04, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Mazes are fun. I know this, because people pay money to walk into cut-out Iowa corn fields to experience being trapped and lost. Yup, pay money. I’m sure this whole maze-thing started because on some dark autumn night a disgusted Iowa farmer, on a never-ending wait for Congress to pass
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Posted November 27, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
The decorated tree, the sleigh that flies, the landing on the roof with a bag of toys, the chimney just wide enough and, of course, “On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donder and Blitzen.” Stir that all together, and you get Christmas. Right? Ah, yes, and Santa. Don’t forget Santa. This picture is
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Posted November 20, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Sir, you do not know me, but I write to thank you for all you’ve done concerning drug dealing and illegal immigrants. As my representative from Iowa, I wanted to share with you how your observations were my salvation. And perhaps my story will be a cautionary tale to others
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Posted November 13, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
The storm was forecast to come out of the west. Strong winds were to hit England first in the morning, then scoot across the channel and slam northern Europe by the afternoon — 80-90 mph winds, maybe higher. Flights were cancelled. Trains were shutting down. British television was warning that
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Posted November 06, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Grey is the sky in Holland. It comes in different shades of grey, of course. But grey it is. As you hang out in this world, you begin to respond to the small tonal shifts from dark grey to light grey in ways that may not be mentally sound. For
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Posted October 30, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Going to the mountain top to seek wisdom isn’t exactly a new idea. Heck, Moses must have worn a path with his frequent up and down visits. I particularly like the notion that there is a wise man or wise woman ensconced in a cave at the top of a
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Posted October 23, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
“South of France.” I never thought I’d see those words in anything but a trashy romance novel. You know, that same old story where Blake, the Chicago fireman, says to Rose, a kindergarten teacher: “Darling, how can you leave me now after I’ve devoted my life to saving widows and
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Posted October 16, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Safe houses are good things to have in your survival bag. Lord, life is complicated enough what with recent droughts, floods, tornadoes and man-made craziness. You need a place to go that makes you breathe more slowly and smile just a little. And maybe where you can ask your mom,
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Posted October 09, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
Holland for seven months. Can you believe it? My wife is volunteering to go over to The Hague for seven months to assist in the prosecution of war criminals. Not your run-of-the-mill bad guys, by the way. One of the defendants she is working on has a murder scene involving
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Posted October 02, 2013in Joe's Neighborhood
“1971 sucked. My mom died a month before I turned 6, my granny died in June and my grandpa died in November. It was a sucking year. But look, all those things make you who you are. People are, ‘That’s so terrible.’ If that wouldn’t have happened to me, I
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