Close

Humor

FTV: Speaking of Libraries . . .

       My source for what “National This or That Day” it is, the Jan Tucker Show, planted the idea for this FTV when Jan mentioned that one of the things designated for April 4 is ‘National School Library Day’.  With only so many days in a calendar year, there are usually multiple ‘National This or […]

Read More

FTV: Robert Weston Smith

    Robert Weston Smith.  Does the name ring any bells?  No?  How about Big Smith and the Records?  Daddy Jules?  I will give you a couple of hints:  If you have seen the movie American Graffiti or reruns of the TV show The Midnight Special or heard Bob Smith’s, “Have Mercy!” catch phrase, then you might […]

Read More

FTV: Cookin’ With Gas

       In the summer of 1974, Professor Pat Farrell was both my instructor and boss at Northern Michigan University’s Field Station just south of Melstrand, Michigan.  All Geography majors were required to take a class called Field Studies to give us boots on the ground experience using tools of the mapping trade.  My undergraduate advisor, […]

Read More

FTV: More Wood Stories

       At the time the first part of FTV:  Wood Stories (published 3-11-20) was being written, we were in the process of having a large Silver Poplar tree removed from our side yard.  When our house was originally built, the owner had planted three of these trees along with a couple of Spruce trees in […]

Read More

FTV: Hard Knocks

       The human body is a remarkable machine.  Our built-in self-repair mechanisms are tested throughout one’s life and looking back, I can only wonder why humans are so determined to thoroughly test the limits of these systems.  My father and mother both smoked when I was growing up.  Thankfully, my mother quit cold turkey when […]

Read More

FTV: Communication

   The  following snippet of information was printed in the “CHEERS and JEERS” section of the AARP Bulletin back in March of 2016 and was recently unearthed from my pile of clippings:  “CHEERS . . . to the new SAT test that will focus less on obscure vocabulary.”  The press release said:  “The abstruse vocabulary words […]

Read More

FTV: Shifting a Pair of Dimes

     Many years ago, Ontonagon Area Schools business teacher Diane Hardes and I were sent to a workshop held at the Holiday Inn in Marquette.  The day’s theme was “integrating computers into your school” and on the way home, we agreed that beyond the lunch we were served, it was a big waste of time (we […]

Read More