Category Archives: Life

Smoked Meat and Baby Shampoo

Posted on June 2, 2013 by Jimmy

We took a whole Devonshire Street School picture that spring of ’82. The school was closing due to low enrollment and the first grade class lined up. We had Mrs. Butterbaugh the first semester with her pictures of ‘ph’ (phone) … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, fatherhood, Life, memoir, Nostalgia | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Building the New Table, Part 1 1/2

Posted on April 6, 2013 by Jimmy

Jeff turned 19 and bought a blue-silver Mazda mini-truck.  He pulled out the shocks and moved the bench seat uncomfortably forward so he could fit a giant speaker behind it.  My ribs and lungs rattled with the music when I … Continue reading →

Posted in Elementary School, fatherhood, Life, memoir, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Pressing Forward on the Resolutions: Table Part 1

Posted on January 7, 2013 by Jimmy

I gasped when Mrs. Peskay held out an example of our 3rd grade Mother’s Day projects that year:  we were going to glue macaroni shells to an empty tissue box and spray paint them silver.  It was just what mom needed! Each … Continue reading →

Posted in Elementary School, Life, memoir | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Twelve Things I Will Teach My Son

Posted on October 19, 2012 by Jimmy

1.  The lyrics to ‘Come Thou Fount’ 2.  How to throw a 12-6 curveball 3.  The knight moves two up and one over or one up and two over 4.  King Lear is 8.2 times better than Hamlet and 46 times … Continue reading →

Posted in fatherhood, Life, memoir, Nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

On Getting New Toys and Appreciating the Old Ones

Posted on September 18, 2012 by Jimmy

In October of 1982, I turned 7 and unwrapped a life altering gift:  the original He-man.  He was muscular and good with sandy blond hair.  When you pulled back on his arm and let go, his torso whipped around and … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, memoir, Nostalgia, Topeka Dr | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Waiting on a Baby or Please Allow Six to Eight Weeks for Delivery

Posted on September 2, 2012 by Jimmy

I began Nobel Junior High in the fall of ’87 and a few things changed:  math got harder, girls stopped talking to me, and lunch went from 50 cents to $1.25. I was a little upset that my grades went … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Life, memoir, Nostalgia | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mune 2012 Roadtrip, Leg 3: Ferry to Alaska

Posted on June 30, 2012 by Jimmy

We headed north from the California redwoods, re-packed our truck, and drove it onto the M/V Columbia for a ferry ride from Bellingham, Washington to Haines, Alaska.  We had a four berth cabin.  Zach’s crib took up most of the walking … Continue reading →

Posted in fatherhood, Life, Nostalgia, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Big Bear Snow, Holly Lake Humidity

Posted on May 22, 2012 by Jimmy

Early one Saturday morning in early January ’83, after a week of Los Angeles rain, we packed the van with tube socks and pieces of cardboard.  For two hours, we played “I spy.”  We used colors instead of letters because Jake … Continue reading →

Posted in 2nd Grade, Baseball, fatherhood, Life, memoir | Tagged , , , | 15 Comments