Organizing Chaos and Pushing on a Rope

I know spring has finally come to the Black Hills. Even though the grass started greening up a couple of weeks ago and the willows, birch and aspen are showing the new growth at the branch ends, spring does not officially begin until the Pasque Flowers (wild crocus) bloom. They were in full flower yesterday after one of those spring rain showers that make the air smell fresh and clean with the rebirth of the land. It is sad so many people bypass one of the happiest moments of the year. How can ...

I’ve delayed writing about this, I suppose knowing that spring is here helps.



About two weeks ago 29 of my brothers died, died in deep dark underground because one person made a decision that profit was worth more than those lives. If you’ve ever worked in the mines, especially underground, you are part of a select fraternity. Even though I haven’t worked as a miner for over twenty years, I still feel the call of those deep dark places in the belly of the beast. I ...

My inner engineer seems to be asserting itself more and more. About two years ago I had a chance
to use credit card reward points to get mp3 players for my wife and I, A year ago I again used credit
card points to get each of us an Amazon Kindle. Now this year, couple of weeks ago I upgraded
from a fairly standard cell phone to a FREE Blackberry and added texting to my plan. So now I have a
phone that is a far leap ahead of where I was. I can check my email whenever I ...

I watched the first episode of “The Pacific” today and remembered a time when I was 13 and was hunting with my Uncle Tom, a veteran of Guadalcanal. I think he would have been embarrassed by the attention on the WWII veterans now. Uncle Tom never made a big deal about his service, I don’t think he ever attended a unit reunion, in fact he went to great lengths to muster out of the Marines in 1946 at the same rank he joined at in 1939 a private, he would have been one rank below Gunnery Sergeant. I ...

I started a blog entry in which I referenced the 70’s and I had one of those thumps that get you right between the eyes. Which 70’s? 1770’s? 1870’s? 1970’s Or even 870’s (Not the best time in history mind)? Now most people alive today would know I meant the 1970’s, however the engineer in me screams to protest that assumption. Is it really that big of deal, my engineer ego says yes.



For example instant potatoes and Polaroid cameras were not around in 1870 so a person ...