The Barbershop
The Maps of Our Lives Point Homeward
Older and wiser, I have long learned that for all the times I wanted to visit far-away places, there is no place like home.
More Articles in The Barbershop
Rock the Block
It is a cloudless July day in Connecticut—the kind of day that keeps people rooted in this place despite its long winters and high taxes. From houses up and down the block neighbors…
No Chairlift, No Spandex, No Problem: The Rustic Virtues of X-C Ski
During the fall color tour, we often drive to a ski resort near my home in southwest Michigan. It’s about the only time my family visits the place, which goes by the…
Monopoly House Rules
I love board games. Truth be told, I am a sucker for games of all types, but there are a number of aspects to playing a board game that simply cannot be replicated…
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 wearing casual clothes and speaking in a cheery…
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 French being the French (about benefits) (about airbnb…
Local Identity and Cities In-Between
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] 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 50th-most populated city…
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 kitchen, 9 a.m. might as well be noon.…
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 or place-based philanthropy, one such powerful sacred cow…
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 two hundred miles north from Manchester, to Colebrook…
Losing (Some of) the Local Commons
[Cross-posted to In Medias Res] 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 for the past…
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 if your season ended unsatisfactorily, relief if you…
When the Witch of November Comes Stealin’
There’s a certain aching joy in the chill of regret.
Load More