By Emil Schmit Almost spring: Dreams of warmer weather will bring us through from here Late each winter there comes a time when the huge, deep, pristine white snowdrifts have been reduced to just small, lumpy piles of dirty, rotting snow, areas of mushy slush, and muddy puddles of icy water. And it is usually about then that most of us realize our patience with the … [Read more...]
Another New Year
By Emil Now, having burned one week of Year 2011, it may be a good time to check out all of those great New Year’s resolutions we made and see just how well we are doing. Sorry to say, I’ve never taken these promises to myself as seriously as I should. I’m sure that if I, and at least a few other folks, were to look very hard we’d be able to see at least several – or … [Read more...]
Woodland Autumn
By Emil Schmit Each year one of my more pessimistic friends says, "After the Fourth of July, it's all downhill as far as summer goes." And I suppose he is correct. Before we know it, it is time for the county fair and for the schools to re-open. And we look around to see a number of summer chores still undone. We recall plans for summer activities that we never got around … [Read more...]
Old Glory – Long, Proudly May She Wave
By Emil Schmit I remember the Fourth of July in a small Midwestern town. Flags lined both sides of the two block along Main Street. Their wooden staffs fitted into metal sockets that were cast in the concrete, near the edges of the sidewalks. And Old Glory flew proudly and colorfully in the breeze. If rain threatened, the local businessmen watched the sky. As the first … [Read more...]
Small Town Diners Offer An Element Of Surprise
By Emil Schmit I am not impressed by big, fancy restaurants where the preparation of food often appears to play second-fiddle to advertising, decorating, and fancy menus, also, reprinting menus to keep ahead of constantly rising prices. Fast food places are usually good and serve the purpose for which they were intended. But they usually lack variety and character. My … [Read more...]
Springtime
By Emil The older I get, the more I appreciate our Midwest with its four distinct seasons of the year. Maybe that is because I was born and raised here. I can’t really say that I enjoy winter, but I think I would miss it. I am sure I appreciate spring all the more because of it. We often hear that anticipation is at least half the joy of anything. I’m sure that a lot of us … [Read more...]
The First Thanksgiving
By Emil Another fall season has dwindled down and winter is right around the corner. Thanksgiving is at hand and that means it is time for the white-tailed deer-hunting season. And for we indoor-types there should be some good football games on TV. Also a huge, colorful Thanksgiving parade to watch, as we witness the official opening of the Christmas shopping season. Many … [Read more...]
Everybody Knows Your Name
By Emil I've always enjoyed the TV show "Cheers". Not only the first time around, but also the re-runs. Like most successful sitcoms, it had not just one star, but quite a large cast, consisting of talented, humorous, interesting, and lovable characters. The scene was almost always the same, a Boston bar, where "everybody knows your name." For all of Cheers' patrons, it … [Read more...]
The Song Of Thunder Bridge
Written by Emil Schmit The subtle sound danced softly across our summer evenings. Too musical to be referred to as merely a “rumble,” it bore a vague resemblance to someone playing the lower tones on a distant marimba. As children, we enjoyed the unusual melody. We learned at an early age that the sound was made by a vehicle crossing the old bridge, more than a mile … [Read more...]
Just These Memories Remain …
Written by Emil Schmit It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Or for almost anything else, for that matter. It was still early June, and nature was at its best. The countryside surrounding the Midwest country club was flaunting its most gorgeous display. What a day for an outdoor wedding! Earlier in the day Gloria and I had left our motel to have breakfast with our … [Read more...]
