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Life in the Box: Teachers in the Sky
Back before the world was surrounded by satellites, back before the internet, back before color television–can you even imagine that far back? There were phones and there was hot-and-cold running...
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Life in the Box: Humor and Humanity
Henny Youngman was the comedian who memorialized the phrase, “take my wife… please!” Come to find out, his wife would laugh along with the crowd at his jokes, even though he made her look, well, not...
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Life in the Box: Green Birds
This morning I saw a female goldfinch in a yellow tree. They matched. That got me wondering: Why aren’t there more green birds? Okay Google: Why aren’t there more green birds? Google: There is a lot...
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Life in the Box: The Lost Consonan’
I’ve been thinking about Eliza Doolittle lately. That scene in “My Fair Lady” where she’s supposed to speak more clearly with a mouth full of marbles. Which never made any sense—a mouth full of...
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Life in the Box: Green Bees
A strange thing happened to me after I wrote a blog piece about green birds. I discovered a bright metallic green bee species! Have you ever seen a green bee? Me neither! This bee, actually two of...
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Life in the Box: Iowa’s Got Prez
What is it like to live in Iowa in the months prior to the “first in the nation caucus?” Busy. And this year with 20+ candidates trying to connect with Iowa Democrats, it can be dizzyingly busy. We...
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Life in the Box: Addicted to Mean
I sent the following two paragraphs to my local newspaper this morning: Today’s conservative “news” sources spread unfounded conspiracy theories and take character assassination to a new level. But...
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Life in the Box: Letters to the Editor
I’ve been writing a lot lately, sometimes to let off steam, but often to express sentiments in my local newspaper. Quite a few have been published, too. So I thought I’d do a quick summary of how to...
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Life in the Box: On A Roll
It was a dark and stormy morning. Raining so hard that my in-car surveillance was opaque. I couldn’t see out my car window without running the wipers full-speed. I was following a tip that Super...
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Life in the Box: Pandemic of Laughter
So, we’ve been at this stay-at-home-thing long enough to laugh at it, I guess. The internet jokes just keep rolling on in. Who writes all these? Who makes all those memes and vids? Everyone, it seems....
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Life in the Box: Breath and Covid-19: Part One
“A lot of people, when they hear that you can’t completely get rid of your risk, they think, ‘Well, that means that it’s inevitable… “But there are lots of things you can do in between nothing and...
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Life in the Box: Breath and Covid-19: Part Two
Having looked into questions about why and how to wear a mask and what kind of mask to make in Part One, now I turn to environmental studies to better my odds of not getting Covid-19. How much Covid …
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Life in the Box: Deep Thoughts about Deep States
I’ve been in a deep state before… a deep state of meditation. That’s the kind of deep state I believe in and enjoy. Now I’ve heard tell about a deep state that is bad, mysterious, and shrouded in...
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Life in the Box: Photo Challenges
One of the earliest things you learn as a photographer is that looking at famous artworks will help develop your eye for lighting, placement, balance, and design. Most photographers embrace the...
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Life in the Box: How to Speak Democrat
Our new President, Biden, the one who actually won the election by a landslide, has asked for this nation to come together and heal the divide. So, in that spirit, I am supplying a guide to those who...
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Life in the Box: Courting Trump’s Lawsuits
Now that Trump is out of office without a federal self-pardon, what can we expect as far as lawsuits against him? I did a few days of searching online, and came up with a list. It doesn’t include any...
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Life in the Box: Minding my Mind
It’s not that I’ve run out of things to say, not exactly. There are still lots of words going through my head. The problem is that the things I want to say have already been said. I’ve said them. I’ve …
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Life in the Box: Pandemic Stories
May 26, 2021 In the days following the CDC’s “declaration of mask independence” my vaccinated friends and I have been taking cautious steps back into pre-pandemic life. A shopping trip, a small group...
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Life in the Box: Lightness and Joy
Maybe it’s the Demerol. I hope not. This morning, the day after my colonoscopy, I awoke with a feeling of lightness, happiness and a quiet glow of joy in my heart (and intestines.) Yes, a day of...
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Life in the Box: Breathing the Last of 2021
January 5, 2022 2021 is over. I almost said “thank goodness,” but that’s not exactly how I feel. A lot of great things happened last year. But it’s hard to take a deep breath and approach 2022 without...
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