It looks like rain (not a forecast, just a title)

(I wrote this column in June of 2008 when it was very dry and we needed rain. Those were the days) My dad and I were milking cows one evening about twenty four years ago. It had been so dry that year and suddenly that evening, it finally rained. I thought we should perhaps … Continue reading It looks like rain (not a forecast, just a title) →

My brother, Darrel

I write about my family fairly often, especially my sister, Debbie, who provides tons of good subject matter. I recently received an email asking if I would write about Darrel, who is an older brother. Although I did include Darrel in a fight against aliens in last Halloween‘s column, I never have written about our … Continue reading My brother, Darrel →

My Old Car

Change makes me sentimental; even inanimate objects are imbued with my emotion because we’ve spent time together. There was a change this week, a four year long relationship between car and driver halted by a transmission that no longer works. My old Chevrolet Lumina left home for the last time driverless except for a ghost … Continue reading My Old Car →

Grandpa Joe

Grant finds a real cowboy, Joe Peacock, formerly of the Teton Mountain Range area.

Family Tradition

(first published, January 2006 in the Grand Forks Herald newspaper) My nephew, Jamie and I recently took a trip to Carrington, North Dakota. The purpose of the trip was to visit my older brother David and his family. There are two cherished traditions in the Nelson family. The first tradition is that … Continue reading Family Tradition →

Point Z

I have a cold this week and the weather had been cold this week, that’s ironic, maybe even mildly amusing. The truth is there is little for me to laugh about as each time I cough, my lungs feel like Velcro being pulled apart-the long way. If you could graph the point at which I … Continue reading Point Z →

Beer Me

I like beer- it’s a passion, an indulgence and the empty bottles make a nice collection. Ben Franklin (for those of you with the appropriate grade-school education to know of Ben Franklin) is often quoted as saying that “beer is proof that God loves us.“ I realize that some people may be reading this at … Continue reading Beer Me →

Letter to Dave

Dear Dave, I want to start this letter out with a little about heating with corn. First off, I just checked our electricity bill and we’ve used about 2000 less kilowatt-hours this month as compared to last year. Bear in mind that we were already using one corn stove last year and that this years … Continue reading Letter to Dave →

Nicolena

I had a message in the comments asking about the song Nicolena. Please leave me an email and I will try answer any questions.