“Ow!” The snowball hit me right square in the face, instantly covering my glasses and stinging like a Mr. Misty headache. This was fun. And it meant war. I wasn’t even sure who threw it. Probably my older brother Dave, but it could have been any one of the many neighbor kids in our back … Continue reading "The Snowball Battle For Johnson Hill"

A beautiful snow was falling. Nothing unusual about snow in late January. But this time I was struck by several things. When I went to the Y early that morning it was 28 degrees and raining. Hard. When it rains in January, you pay attention. Rain turns to ice in a hurry and freezes to … Continue reading "Hibernation The Bold North Way"

This month I become a real senior citizen with all its associated benefits and grandeur. Drum roll, please. Well, that’s the way I understood it when I was a kid. Anyone 65 and older was a senior citizen. And that was based on my perception that everyone just worked until they were 65 when they … Continue reading "Punching My Ticket On The Gold Coast Limited"

So another Christmas is over. Well, not technically. Every year Catherine reminds me that the Christmas season isn’t over until after Epiphany on January 6. So the tree stays up, maybe until Lent. For a lot of people, though, any evidence that Christmas was even celebrated vanishes by New Year’s Day. Oh, there might still … Continue reading "Few Surprises As We Wrap Up Another Christmas"

Mom was unusually quiet one day after school just before Christmas. I knew something was up. She ordered brother Warren and me into the station wagon. We didn’t dare ask where we were going but it soon became apparent that we were getting a Christmas tree, something Dad was supposed to have done a couple … Continue reading "Those Jolly Good Memories of Christmases Past"

Mid-bite during a third dinner of leftover Thanksgiving turkey, I suddenly froze. “We have to get the Christmas cards sent out,” I whispered, mostly to myself. Catherine heard enough of it to look at me and ask, “What are you mumbling about now?” That started the annual frantic discussion about who has to do what. … Continue reading "The Annual Report From Planet Johnson"

Discovering where I came from, who my distant relatives are and what I might die from were not high on my bucket list. It was already very apparent to me that I was of Norwegian heritage, having grown up with lutefisk, lefse and kringla every Christmas. My dad spoke enough Norse to make me wonder … Continue reading "I’m A Viking With Many Neanderthal Traits"

Maybe I did it for the free shirt and name tag. It wasn’t for the pay, which is just a small stipend. But I am now officially an AARP Smart Driver instructor. After attending the course a number of times, I figured I could teach it. I’ve been a teacher, my dad was a driver … Continue reading "Smart Drivers Know To Stay In Their Lanes"

The cold rain and wind gusts created a shower of wet leaves swirling to the saturated ground in the woods behind our house. Fall had returned with its unmistakable air of rotting vegetation, a warning that winter was just over the next hill. In this wondrous northland where we’re always getting ready for something, I … Continue reading "Zen and the Art of Fall Maintenance"

When I was contemplating what path to pursue in college, I chose English as a major. What was I thinking? Well, I was a good speller and read a lot of books in grade school. Shouldn’t that qualify me? I figured on becoming a teacher like everyone else in my family and decide that would … Continue reading "Parsing My Way Through The English Language Jungle"