What is right with people?
Pandemic Division
Anonymous Woman of St. Paul: “Subject: A little kindness is needed right now.
“Lately I’m trying to get to restaurants — the Mom-and-Pop ones, etc., that still seem to be hurting from disruptions. Because we need to prime the pump to help folks make a steady living again.
Continue reading “Does a $6 tip on an $8.50 tab sound just about right? Yes, it does.”Life as we know it
Waldo Windmill writes: “The word ‘serendipity’ was coined by Horace Walpole in 1754 to describe the good fortunes of the ‘Three Princes of Serendip,’ characters in the English version of an old Persian fairy tale. The 11th edition of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, published in 2014, defines ‘serendipity’ as the ‘phenomenon or instance of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.’
Continue reading “Why has he lived the life he’s led? Chalk it up to Serendipity!”Life as we know it
The Astronomer of Nininger: “The air was still and the water as smooth as glass — unusual for the Upper Mississippi. It had risen maybe six or more inches from last week, but Saturday’s rain likely added to the level. Typically, with the current moving and the slightest of breeze blowing, the surface is almost always somewhat rippled if not chopped.
Continue reading “Come along for a pleasant dinner cruise, aboard a pontoon, on Ol’ Man River!”Now & Then
Or: Life as we knew it
Waldo Windmill writes: “Growing up on a dairy farm in the 1930s and ’40s was an interesting, if not exciting, lifestyle. A few memories predominate as I look back on that experience.
Continue reading “What was it like to grow up on a dairy farm, most of a century ago?”Accidents of mirth
Waldo Windmill writes: “I sang in a barbershop quartet which performed on hundreds of shows in the Twin Cities area, as well as throughout the United States and Canada. Surprisingly, we missed only two scheduled appearances during that entire period.
“One I remember vividly. We were booked to perform in downtown Minneapolis on a snowy, cold December evening in 1965. Bob, Dan, and I arrived at the show venue dressed and ready to perform as per usual, but John failed to arrive in a timely fashion.
“We soon found out why: He had been involved in an automobile accident on his way to the gig. Therein lies the story.
Continue reading “How the barbershop quartet became a barbershop trio — or: A funny thing happened on the way to the gig!”
