Smiling Prophet of Tape and Glue
If you watch a regional sportscast on TV, or some similar out-of-the-way cable fare, you’ll eventually see a commercial featuring a smiling, chubby man...
Yellow Vests Run Out of Gas
When asked to share my thoughts on the recent yellow vests protests, I initially demurred, stating that is was simply another case of the...
Local Identity and Cities In-Between
2018 has been a busy year for those of us who aspire to--or are at least somewhat animated by--localism here in Wichita, KS, the...
The Appeal of a Well-Simmered Life
It’s 9 a.m. on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, which seems like a reasonable, civilized time to make apple butter. Yet in my mother-in-law’s farmhouse...
Funding College Graduates to Come Home
Sacred cows exist in almost every industry and sector in America, and the world of philanthropy is no exception. Within the realm of community...
In Pursuit of Jimmie Ricker’s Farm
It was hard to resist. John Harrigan’s portrait of Great North Woods stump farmer Jimmie Ricker in our local newspaper compelled me to drive...
Losing (Some of) the Local Commons
The annual Prairie Festival at The Land Institute just outside Salina, KS, was held two months ago, but it's been much on my mind...
The Local Game
The baseball season has ended. For fans just about everywhere outside of Boston, this will signal either melancholy or relief. Or possibly disgust. Melancholy...
Dirt Thick with Known Dead
While wandering in a used bookstore this summer, I picked up Donald Hall’s String Too Short to be Saved. I enjoyed Hall’s stories about...