Satisfying Distractions When confronted with senseless tragedy it’s so tempting to dwell on “what ifs”. …

Semantics vs. Deadly Realities In the Spring of 1944 my dad led a rifle platoon up the boot of Italy into the teeth of battle hardened German troops who possessed every strategic piece of high ground. That platoon of 36 soldiers carried M-1 semi-auto “Garrand” rifles that accepted an 8 round clip from the…

One More Campaign Falsehood in the Mix There’s the stolen election falsehood, there’s the radical liberal agenda falsehood (talk about an oxymoron) and now there’s the Biden energy policy falsehood, blaming his executive orders for the high cost of gas at the pump. Sky high gas prices (compared to what Americans are used to) are fertile ground…

In my efforts to teach myself how to build guitars my academy of choice has been YouTube. This astonishingly rich resource has also taught me how to dismantle and service my dishwasher, how to recharge the freon in my van’s air conditioning system… I’m pretty sure that if I needed…

Looking back over the years I don’t know which is more sad, the regrets that mark your missed opportunities, or perhaps having no regrets at all. Having no regrets could mean that you never failed to kick the opportunity door open when it opened just a crack. …

An old saw about the construction business states that the last five percent of the job takes as long as the first ninety-five While this obviously can’t be true it sure seems true. My guitar build is rounding the stretch but I don’t yet feel like I'm thundering down to…

Hate high gas prices? Most people do. Naturally, we assume that producers and sellers rely on the market forces of supply and demand to set gas prices. This is only partly true. We are also paying a hefty “middleman tax” to Wall Street speculators as part of our $4.50 …

Flawed business plans and startup hubris There’s the dreaded call on Saturday morning if you own a pickup truck; “Hey, I need to move this couch and coffee table, can you stop by and help me for an hour or so?” There’s the ask from your sister-in-law, “You know, Bill’s been struggling a lot lately, couldn’t…

You don't seem to understand the implications of the destruction of industry, transport, farming...most people don't. Can you collect enough water from what falls on your property to supply both potable and garden needs? Can you purify it? Can you grow enough to feed yourself and your group? For how…