proud papa

Last night at our sons’ parent-teacher conference, we learned that he is pretty much an “A” student, likes to ask questions, loves math, excels in social studies but needs work on penmanship. Don’t most fourth grade boys do need to work on penmanship?
We met Andy’s teacher, and she seems like a wise, elementary school veteran [...]

vacation!

It’s nearly the end of summer, and we haven’t taken a family vacation yet. Because I’ve been in Dodge City working for AT&T, and Sharon and Andy have kept the house in Wichita running without much help from me, we simply haven’t had time for a trip. I have to be in Dallas a week [...]

the iceman commeth…the iceman taketh away….

It’s become a turf war in my office building. We had an ice machine in one of our 4th floor break rooms, which used to serve almost 200 employees.  Now that we’ve dwindled in number to just seven souls on our floor, we arguably don’t have the high demand for ice in our drinks.  But [...]

Rate The Judges

The Wichita Eagle has conducted a survey of local attorneys who rated sitting judges and candidates of their performance and qualifications to serve as District Court Judges in Sedgwick County, Kansas.  Several judges and candidates ranked very high in the survey, while others did not.
Some judges and candidates had only quiet appreciation for favorable rankings, [...]

antique roadshow

The popular PBS series “Antiques Roadshow” made a stop in our hometown recently, and my wife, her parents and her best friend all got tickets.  Andy and I were left out.  Darn.  My wife was absolutely giddy with excitement in the weeks up to the show, and was certain that she had some great things [...]

…one man’s trash…

…is another man’s treasure.  Isn’t that what they say?
They descended on our front lawn like vultures attacking a carcass.  My wife’s annual “get this crap out of my house” yard sale had begun, and the veterans were out early in search of bargains.  Some were there before the sun came up.  Others stopped to ask [...]

wichita wingnuts baseball

Baseball is alive if not kickin’ in Wichita, Kansas, after the departure of the AA Wrangler’s last season. The Wichita Wingnuts are the newest member of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, taking up residence in Lawrence Dumont stadium. Former minor league player and coach Kash Beauchamp leads team in their debut season, which [...]

happy father’s day

My eight year old son hasn’t really grasped the importance of Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, or any holiday besides Christmas and his birthday. When he was younger, he got presents on every holiday, birthday (his or someone else’s), anniversary or any special event. Who wouldn’t like that?
Sure, he gave presents, too. Like a [...]

handed the keys to our city……

Local government always seems to attract the attention of the local media, if not the general public. The Wichita City Council has hired the fourth City Manager in six years. After firing two because they couldn’t control them, they hired a college professor in the interim to keep the ship from sinking while they looked [...]