[{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m Corey Fields. I\u0026rsquo;ve lived in the Midwest my entire life, and if you know anything about this part of the country, you know it\u0026rsquo;s built on a foundation of common sense and a \u0026ldquo;get it done\u0026rdquo; attitude. I have somehow become middle-aged and see the world getting a whole lot weirder and accepting things like greed, mass surveillance, wasteful pollution, and blatant corruption.\nAs a geriatric millennial, I grew up a \u0026rsquo;90s kid\u0026rsquo; and watched cartoons like Captain Planet, remember headlines about Y2K, watched 9/11 happen while in US History class, and the Iraq War started while I was in homeroom. I went to a college that looked like the ones in movies with a big, grassy quad, and tried to get a full-time job during the 2008 financial crisis. With all that those events and everything since then, I\u0026rsquo;ve gained quite a bit of experience. As part of my leveling up, I want to share my thoughts.\nA lot of what I write about comes from living with it, not reading about it:\n40+ years in the Midwest. Tornado sirens, card games, fall harvests, and road trips across the region are just regular life here. The Midwest Facts posts are about places and traditions around the region, and I share my own connection to them when I have one. Rooftop solar since 2022. Several years of Midwest seasons with panels on my own roof, which is where my opinions on solar come from. Driving an EV since 2023. Midwest winters included. Homeowner and gardener. Gardening, composting, yard work with battery tools, and keeping utility bills down are regular chores for me, and the product recommendations here are things I actually own and use. When a post covers facts, news, or anything outside my own experience, I link to the sources I used so you can check them yourself. When it\u0026rsquo;s opinion, I\u0026rsquo;ll make that clear too.\nI started Opes for the Future as a way to keep some of that old-school wisdom alive and pass it on to the next generation. Think of it as a modern-day almanac—a place for plain-spoken thoughts on how to work hard, enjoy what we\u0026rsquo;ve got today, and strive to make the world better than we found it. Like Poor Richard\u0026rsquo;s Almanac, I believe we need to use our heads today while we dream about tomorrow. I am interested in justice, technology, innovation, sustainability, and more topics that will be explored along with my Midwest pride in Opes for the Future. (a play on \u0026ldquo;Hopes for the Future\u0026rdquo; with the Midwestern expression \u0026ldquo;ope\u0026rdquo;, which you might say without realizing it when you bump into something.).\nDon\u0026rsquo;t just fly-over this site. Stick around a while and oh, pass the ranch!\n","date":"July 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/about/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"About This Site","type":"pages"},{"content":"The information provided on this website (Opes for the Future) is for general informational and entertainment purposes only. While we strive to provide accurate and high-quality content, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of any information provided on this site.\nNo Professional Advice # The content on this website does not constitute professional advice, including but not limited to medical, legal, financial, or technical advice. Always seek the advice of a qualified professional with appropriate experience before making any decisions based on the information found here.\nExternal Links # This website may contain links to third-party websites. We have no control over the content, privacy policies, or practices of these external sites and do not endorse any of their contents or practices. Your use of any information on such websites is at your own risk.\nLimitation of Liability # In no event shall the authors, developers, or owners of Opes for the Future be liable for any damages (including, without limitation, special, direct, indirect, or consequential damages) arising out of the use of or inability to use the materials on this website, even if notified that such damages might occur.\n\u0026ldquo;As Is\u0026rdquo; Basis # The website and all content provided are provided on an \u0026ldquo;as is\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;as available\u0026rdquo; basis. We do not guarantee that the website will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free.\nAdvertising and Third-Party Content # This site may display advertisements from third-party providers, including Google AdSense. These third parties may collect data about your browsing habits to serve personalized ads. By using this site, you acknowledge and agree to the terms and privacy policies of these third-party advertisers.\nBy using this website, you agree to these terms and acknowledge the limitations of liability stated herein.\n","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/disclaimer/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Disclaimer for Opes for the Future","type":"pages"},{"content":"Effective Date: October 31, 2026\nWelcome to Opes for the Future. By accessing and using this website, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use this website.\n1. Acceptance of Terms # By using this website, you represent that you are at least 13 years of age (or the minimum legal age in your jurisdiction) and that you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement.\n2. Intellectual Property Rights # All content on this website, including but not limited to text, images, audio, video, and software, is the property of Opes for the Future or its content creators and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any content on this site without express written permission.\n3. About the Content # Posts are based on the author’s own notes, experience, and opinions. While we strive for quality, we do not guarantee the accuracy of the content. You agree not to use any content from this site for any illegal or unauthorized purposes.\n4. Limitation of Liability # Opes for the Future and its owners, developers, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of your use of the website, including but not limited to damages for loss of data, profits, or business interruption.\n5. \u0026ldquo;As Is\u0026rdquo; Basis # The website is provided on an \u0026ldquo;as is\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;as available\u0026rdquo; basis. We do not warrant that the website will be error-free, secure, or uninterrupted.\n6. Third-Party Links and Advertisements # Our website may contain links to third-party websites and display advertisements from third-party providers, including Google AdSense. We are not responsible for the content, privacy policies, or practices of these third-party services. Your use of such links or services is at your own risk.\n7. Affiliate Links # Some posts contain affiliate links, including links from the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. If you buy something through one of these links, Opes for the Future may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links are marked with #CommissionsEarned.\n8. Privacy Policy # Your use of this website is also governed by our Privacy Policy. By using this site, you consent to the data collection and processing practices described therein.\n9. Modifications to Terms # We reserve the right to modify these Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice. Continued use of the website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the new terms.\n10. Governing Law # These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.\n11. Contact Information # If you have any questions regarding these Terms and Conditions, please reach out through the Contact page.\nBy continuing to use Opes for the Future, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to these Terms and Conditions.\n","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/terms-conditions/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Terms and Conditions","type":"pages"},{"content":" Privacy Policy for Opes for the Future # Effective Date: July 4th, 2026\nThis Privacy Policy describes how Opes for the Future (\u0026ldquo;we,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;us,\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;our\u0026rdquo;) collects, uses, and discloses information when you use our website opesforthefuture.com (the \u0026ldquo;Site\u0026rdquo;).\n1. Information We Collect # This Site does not have user accounts, comments, or a newsletter, so we do not ask you to submit personal information to use it. If you choose to email us, we receive your email address and whatever you include in your message, and we use it only to reply. We and our third-party partners also automatically collect technical data about your device, browsing actions, and patterns using cookies and server logs.\n2. How We Use Your Information # We use the information we collect to:\nOperate, maintain, and improve the Site. Personalize content and advertisements. Understand how you use our Site and improve user experience. Respond to messages you send us. 3. Advertising and Third-Party Cookies # This Site may use third-party vendors, including Google, using cookies to serve ads based on prior visits.\nGoogle AdSense: Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to users based on their visits to this Site and/or other sites on the Internet. Users may opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can learn more about how Google uses data from sites that use its services at How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services.\nThird-Party Vendors: Other third-party vendors and ad networks may also use cookies to serve ads on this Site. You can generally opt out of personalized advertising by visiting websites like the Network Advertising Initiative or YourAdChoices.\n4. Amazon Associates Program # We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.\nAmazon uses cookies to track visits to attribute sales to our affiliate links. You can read more about Amazon’s data practices in the Amazon Privacy Notice.\n5. Your Rights and Choices # Depending on your location (such as California under the CCPA, or European regions under the GDPR), you may have rights regarding your personal information.\n6. Changes to This Privacy Policy # We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.\n7. Contact Us # If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please reach out using the Contact page.\nAs an Amazon Associate, I may earn revenue from qualifying purchases.\n","date":"July 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/privacy-policy/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Privacy Policy","type":"pages"},{"content":" Contact # If you have any questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out via email:\nopesforthefuture [at] gmail [dot] com\nI\u0026rsquo;ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.\n","date":"July 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/contact/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"Contact","type":"pages"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Categories","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/congress/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Congress","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/daylight-saving-time/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Daylight Saving Time","type":"tags"},{"content":"Today\u0026rsquo;s the day we fall back. Everybody says it\u0026rsquo;s the \u0026ldquo;good\u0026rdquo; one, because you get an extra hour of sleep. I don\u0026rsquo;t. I just wake up an hour earlier, wide awake, staring at the ceiling and unable to fall back asleep. My body has no idea the clocks changed, and it isn\u0026rsquo;t interested in hearing about it.\nI hate daylight saving time. (And yes, it\u0026rsquo;s officially \u0026ldquo;daylight saving time,\u0026rdquo; not \u0026ldquo;savings.\u0026rdquo; Somehow even the name is annoying.)\nIt Messes With My Sleep # Your body runs on an internal clock that follows the sun, not the one on the microwave. When the clocks jump an hour, your internal clock doesn\u0026rsquo;t. It takes days to catch up, and some people take a week or more.\nFor me, fall back means my body still thinks it\u0026rsquo;s 7:00 when the clock says 6:00. So I\u0026rsquo;m up at 6:00, and there\u0026rsquo;s no going back to sleep. Then by evening I\u0026rsquo;m tired an hour \u0026ldquo;early,\u0026rdquo; and it\u0026rsquo;s dark before dinner. Spring forward is even worse, because that one actually takes an hour away.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s Not Just Grogginess # If it were only about being cranky for a week, I\u0026rsquo;d grumble and move on. But the research says the time changes come with real side effects:\nHeart attacks: A study presented at the American College of Cardiology in 2014 looked at hospital data from Michigan. It found heart attacks rose 25% on the Monday after we spring forward compared to other Mondays, and fell 21% on the Tuesday after we fall back. The total for the week didn\u0026rsquo;t change, which suggests the time change pushes people who are already at risk over the edge sooner. Fatal car crashes: A 2020 study in Current Biology analyzed more than 730,000 fatal crashes from 1996 to 2017. It found that fatal car crashes rise about 6% in the week after spring forward, which works out to roughly 28 extra deaths per year in the U.S. The effect was strongest in the morning and in the western parts of each time zone. Sleep and health overall: The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says the seasonal time changes are linked to risks to physical health, mental well-being, and public safety, and that the misalignment between our body clocks and the sun is the problem. Compare That to a Gradual Change # Here\u0026rsquo;s what gets me. Nature already changes the daylight on us gradually. Every day from summer to winter, sunrise comes a minute or two later and sunset a minute or two earlier. Our bodies handle that just fine because it happens slowly.\nThen twice a year, we take all that gradual change and slam an hour onto it overnight. Sleep experts recommend easing into the switch by shifting your bedtime 15 or 20 minutes at a time in the days before. That\u0026rsquo;s good advice, and it tells you everything: the change is so rough on people that the recommended fix is to pretend it\u0026rsquo;s happening gradually.\nSo Why Haven\u0026rsquo;t We Fixed It? # Because the politicians can\u0026rsquo;t decide which one to keep.\nThere are two choices. One is permanent standard time, which is what we switch to today. The other is permanent daylight saving time, which is what we use all summer. Both would end the clock changes.\nSleep experts mostly favor permanent standard time. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the American Medical Association, and others say it lines up best with our natural body clocks. Permanent daylight saving time keeps the lighter summer evenings people like, but it means dark winter mornings. In the northern and western parts of time zones, the sun wouldn\u0026rsquo;t come up until 9:00 a.m. or later in the winter, and kids would be waiting for the school bus in the dark.\nCongress keeps getting close and then stalling. In 2022, the Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, by unanimous consent, and it died in the House. This year, the House passed it 308-117 in July, and now it\u0026rsquo;s stuck in the Senate. Meanwhile, 19 states have passed laws to switch to year-round daylight saving time, but only if Congress allows it. Hawaii and most of Arizona have already opted out and stay on standard time all year.\nSo the states are waiting on Congress, the House is waiting on the Senate, and the rest of us are waiting for our alarm clocks to make sense again.\nJust Pick One # Just like everything else these days, opinions are divided. Morning people want standard time. Evening people want daylight saving time. Tourist areas, retailers, parents, farmers, and sleep doctors all have their own takes.\nBut here\u0026rsquo;s the thing almost everyone agrees on: we hate where we are right now. Switching back and forth twice a year is the worst of both worlds. At this point, I\u0026rsquo;d take either one.\nDo something. Pick one and stop changing the clocks. Until then, I\u0026rsquo;ll be up before 5:00 tomorrow morning, wide awake and annoyed, with an extra hour to write blog posts about it.\nSources: American College of Cardiology: Daylight Saving Impacts the Timing of Heart Attacks, CU Boulder Today: Spring forward to daylight saving time brings surge in fatal car crashes, American Academy of Sleep Medicine: Permanent standard time is the optimal choice for health and safety, NBC News: House passes bill that would make daylight saving time permanent.\n","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-11-01-daylight-saving-time/","section":"Posts","summary":"Today’s the day we fall back. Everybody says it’s the “good” one, because you get an extra hour of sleep. I don’t. I just wake up an hour earlier, wide awake, staring at the ceiling and unable to fall back asleep. My body has no idea the clocks changed, and it isn’t interested in hearing about it.\nI hate daylight saving time. (And yes, it’s officially “daylight saving time,” not “savings.” Somehow even the name is annoying.)\n","title":"Fall Back, Wake Up Early, Stay Grumpy: I Hate Daylight Saving Time","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/health/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Health","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/my-ope-pinion/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"My Ope-pinion","type":"categories"},{"content":"An almanac of Midwest practicality, plain-spoken wisdom, and musings from a Midwest millennial for these impractical times.\n","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/","section":"Opes for the Future","summary":"","title":"Opes for the Future","type":"page"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/politics/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Politics","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Posts","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sleep/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sleep","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"November 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tags","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/covid-19/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"COVID-19","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/fall/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Fall","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/flu-shot/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Flu Shot","type":"tags"},{"content":"Fall is tune-up season. You swap out the furnace filter, clean the gutters, and put the snow shovel somewhere you can find it. It\u0026rsquo;s also the best time to give your immune system a tune-up with your flu and COVID-19 vaccines.\nWhy Now? # First, the usual disclaimer: I\u0026rsquo;m not a doctor. But my understanding is that your body typically needs about two weeks after a vaccine to build up full protection. The CDC says it takes about two weeks after a flu shot for your body to develop the antibodies that protect you.\nThat timing matters because of what\u0026rsquo;s coming up. Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26 this year. That\u0026rsquo;s when friends and family pack into one house, pass the mashed potatoes, and hug relatives who flew in from three different airports. If you get your shots now, you\u0026rsquo;ll be fully protected well before the turkey hits the table.\nFlu and COVID both tend to pick up in late fall and winter, as everyone heads indoors and the holiday gatherings start. Getting vaccinated in the fall means your protection is at its peak when those viruses are spreading the most. And if you get sick anyway, being vaccinated generally means a milder illness and less chance of passing it on.\nThe Sore Arm Problem # Here\u0026rsquo;s the part nobody warned me about.\nFor me, my arm is understandably sore for a day or two after a shot. That\u0026rsquo;s a common side effect. It\u0026rsquo;s your immune system getting to work, and it goes away on its own. But the timing matters.\nLast year, I didn\u0026rsquo;t think about it. I got my shots, and the next day I was out raking leaves with a sore arm. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t the end of the world, but it was a lot less pleasant than it needed to be.\nI didn\u0026rsquo;t make that mistake this year. I picked a day when I knew I could take the next day easy, and the rake waited.\nPick Your Day # So here\u0026rsquo;s my advice: pick a time when you can take the next day easy.\nAvoid the day before a big chore. Raking, splitting firewood, moving furniture, and hauling the patio set into the garage can all wait a couple of days. Think about which arm. If you\u0026rsquo;re getting more than one shot, ask about splitting them between arms, or putting them in your non-dominant arm so you can still do the basics. Get both at once if you can. Flu and COVID vaccines can be given at the same visit, which saves you a trip and gets the sore arm over with in one go. Late in the week can work well. A Thursday or Friday shot can give you a quieter weekend to recover and sneak in a nap, as long as the weekend isn\u0026rsquo;t when you planned to clean out the gutters. Most pharmacies take walk-ins or let you book online, and many grocery stores with a pharmacy counter offer them too. It usually takes longer to fill out the form than to get the shot.\nSpare Yourself (and Everyone Else) # A day or two of a sore arm is a small price compared to a week in bed with the flu, or COVID knocking you out right before the holidays. And it\u0026rsquo;s not just about you. The person you might pass it to could be a grandparent, a new baby, or a friend going through cancer treatment, people for whom these illnesses can be a lot more serious.\nSo give your body a tune-up. Get your flu and COVID vaccines now, pick a day when you can take it easy afterward, and save the leaves for later. They\u0026rsquo;re not going anywhere. Trust me, there will be more of them next week.\nSources: CDC: Flu vaccine timing and how long protection takes to develop, CDC: COVID-19 vaccines.\n","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-29-fall-vaccines/","section":"Posts","summary":"Fall is tune-up season. You swap out the furnace filter, clean the gutters, and put the snow shovel somewhere you can find it. It’s also the best time to give your immune system a tune-up with your flu and COVID-19 vaccines.\n","title":"Get Your Flu and COVID Shots Before You Rake the Leaves","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/neighborly-advice/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Neighborly Advice","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/thanksgiving/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Thanksgiving","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/vaccines/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Vaccines","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/agriculture/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Agriculture","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/illinois/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Illinois","type":"tags"},{"content":"If you\u0026rsquo;ve carved a jack-o\u0026rsquo;-lantern or bought a pumpkin for pie, there\u0026rsquo;s a solid chance it came from Illinois. The state grows more pumpkins than any other in the nation, over 25% of America\u0026rsquo;s supply. That\u0026rsquo;s not an accident. Illinois soil and climate are well-suited for pumpkin farming, and the Midwest work ethic means those farmers take the job seriously.\nMost of Illinois\u0026rsquo; pumpkins come from a region known as the \u0026ldquo;Pumpkin Capital of the World,\u0026rdquo; centered around the communities of Morton and Tremont in Tazewell County. It\u0026rsquo;s not just one or two operations either. Hundreds of farms across central and northern Illinois devote acres to the crop. The season typically runs from late August through October, with the heaviest harvest happening just before Halloween when demand peaks. That\u0026rsquo;s when pick-your-own patches open up, when farmers\u0026rsquo; markets overflow with the gourds, and when the price per pumpkin settles into something reasonable.\nThe practical appeal of growing pumpkins in Illinois is straightforward: the growing season aligns perfectly with market demand. Plant in spring, tend through summer, and harvest right when people want them most. The state\u0026rsquo;s diverse soil types support good yields, and the cooler fall weather gives pumpkins that firm rind and bright orange color that makes for better carving and better storage. Illinois growers have figured out the formula through generations of farming, and they\u0026rsquo;re not about to let another state steal their thunder.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re looking to support Illinois agriculture and want the real deal, harvest season is the time to buy. Find a local patch, pick your own, and you\u0026rsquo;ll know exactly where your pumpkin came from. Otherwise, look at the box in the store, and it will likely say your pumpkin came from the fertile central Illinois.\nDriving Past Morton # Pumpkin patches are a regular part of fall for me, like they are for a lot of Illinois families. Hayrides, corn mazes, apple cider donuts, and picking out the right pumpkin from a field are as much a part of October as football and falling leaves.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve also driven past Morton, and it\u0026rsquo;s a sight. In central Illinois, you can go for miles with nothing but corn and soybeans on either side of the road. Then, suddenly, there\u0026rsquo;s a field covered in orange pumpkins just sitting on the ground. After all that green and brown, it\u0026rsquo;s a little bit of variety, and it\u0026rsquo;s the kind of thing that makes you slow down and look.\nMorton is also home to a Libby\u0026rsquo;s plant that processes the large majority of the canned pumpkin sold in the United States. Here\u0026rsquo;s a fun fact: the pumpkins in that can probably don\u0026rsquo;t look like the ones on your porch. Libby\u0026rsquo;s grows its own variety, the Dickinson pumpkin, which is tan, a bit oblong, and looks more like a squash. It has thick, sweet, dense flesh that makes great pie filling, even if it would make a pretty boring jack-o\u0026rsquo;-lantern.\nLearn More:\nIllinois Department of Agriculture Tazewell County Tourism - Pumpkin Capital USDA Pumpkin Production Data ","date":"October 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-28-illinois-pumpkins/","section":"Posts","summary":"If you’ve carved a jack-o’-lantern or bought a pumpkin for pie, there’s a solid chance it came from Illinois. The state grows more pumpkins than any other in the nation, over 25% of America’s supply. That’s not an accident. Illinois soil and climate are well-suited for pumpkin farming, and the Midwest work ethic means those farmers take the job seriously.\nMost of Illinois’ pumpkins come from a region known as the “Pumpkin Capital of the World,” centered around the communities of Morton and Tremont in Tazewell County. It’s not just one or two operations either. Hundreds of farms across central and northern Illinois devote acres to the crop. The season typically runs from late August through October, with the heaviest harvest happening just before Halloween when demand peaks. That’s when pick-your-own patches open up, when farmers’ markets overflow with the gourds, and when the price per pumpkin settles into something reasonable.\nThe practical appeal of growing pumpkins in Illinois is straightforward: the growing season aligns perfectly with market demand. Plant in spring, tend through summer, and harvest right when people want them most. The state’s diverse soil types support good yields, and the cooler fall weather gives pumpkins that firm rind and bright orange color that makes for better carving and better storage. Illinois growers have figured out the formula through generations of farming, and they’re not about to let another state steal their thunder.\nIf you’re looking to support Illinois agriculture and want the real deal, harvest season is the time to buy. Find a local patch, pick your own, and you’ll know exactly where your pumpkin came from. Otherwise, look at the box in the store, and it will likely say your pumpkin came from the fertile central Illinois.\nDriving Past Morton # Pumpkin patches are a regular part of fall for me, like they are for a lot of Illinois families. Hayrides, corn mazes, apple cider donuts, and picking out the right pumpkin from a field are as much a part of October as football and falling leaves.\nI’ve also driven past Morton, and it’s a sight. In central Illinois, you can go for miles with nothing but corn and soybeans on either side of the road. Then, suddenly, there’s a field covered in orange pumpkins just sitting on the ground. After all that green and brown, it’s a little bit of variety, and it’s the kind of thing that makes you slow down and look.\nMorton is also home to a Libby’s plant that processes the large majority of the canned pumpkin sold in the United States. Here’s a fun fact: the pumpkins in that can probably don’t look like the ones on your porch. Libby’s grows its own variety, the Dickinson pumpkin, which is tan, a bit oblong, and looks more like a squash. It has thick, sweet, dense flesh that makes great pie filling, even if it would make a pretty boring jack-o’-lantern.\n","title":"Illinois Pumpkins: America's Gourd Capital","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/midwest-facts/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Midwest Facts","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"October 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/pumpkins/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Pumpkins","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/headlines/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Headlines","type":"categories"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/minimum-wage/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Minimum Wage","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/money/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Money","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/restaurants/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Restaurants","type":"tags"},{"content":"I\u0026rsquo;m opposed to gratuity tipping. Not to the people who serve me, but to the system that makes them depend on my mood, my math, and whatever\u0026rsquo;s left in my wallet after the bill comes. Nobody likes paying extra. But my problem with tipping isn\u0026rsquo;t just the cost. It comes with some real negative consequences, and most of them land on the workers.\nThe Numbers # The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, and it hasn\u0026rsquo;t changed since 2009.\nThe federal minimum cash wage for tipped workers is $2.13 an hour, and that one hasn\u0026rsquo;t changed since 1991. Employers are allowed to count up to $5.12 an hour of a worker\u0026rsquo;s tips toward the regular minimum wage. That\u0026rsquo;s called the \u0026ldquo;tip credit.\u0026rdquo; If tips don\u0026rsquo;t add up to at least $7.25 an hour, the employer is supposed to make up the difference.\nMany states set their own, higher minimums, and a handful, like California and Washington, don\u0026rsquo;t allow a tip credit at all. In Illinois, tipped workers get at least 60% of the state minimum wage, and Chicago is phasing out its tip credit entirely by 2028. But in plenty of places, $2.13 is still the starting point.\nIt Hides the Real Price # The price on the menu isn\u0026rsquo;t the price you pay. It\u0026rsquo;s like sales tax getting added at the register, except at least sales tax is a set rate. With tipping, you\u0026rsquo;re expected to do the math yourself and add another 15%, 18%, 20%, or more on top of the bill.\nAnd that\u0026rsquo;s on purpose. Cornell professor Michael Lynn, who has studied tipping for decades, told NPR\u0026rsquo;s The Indicator that customers judge how expensive a restaurant is by its menu prices. A restaurant with no tipping and 15% higher prices looks more expensive than one with lower prices and tips, even though you pay the same either way. When 12 Joe\u0026rsquo;s Crab Shack locations tried dropping tips and raising prices, their online ratings went down, and most of them went back to tipping.\n15% Became 20%, and Prices Went Up Too # Not that long ago, 15% was the standard tip for good service. Now 20% is the \u0026ldquo;normal\u0026rdquo; tip, and the payment screen suggests 22% or 25% before you\u0026rsquo;ve even signed.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the part that bugs me: tips are a percentage, so they already go up when prices go up. A $20 meal turned into a $30 meal, and the tip went up with it. Raising the percentage on top of that means we\u0026rsquo;re paying more twice. And now the screen asks for a tip at the coffee counter, the self-serve frozen yogurt place, and the bakery where I picked up my own order.\nIt Puts Servers at the Mercy of Lousy Customers # When most of your pay depends on keeping the customer happy, you have to put up with a lot. Servers have to smile through rude comments, unreasonable demands, and worse, because pushing back could cost them their rent money.\nThe research backs this up. A study by researchers at the University of Notre Dame, Penn State, and Emlyon Business School, reported by NPR, found that depending on tips, combined with being required to \u0026ldquo;serve with a smile,\u0026rdquo; creates a power imbalance that increases sexual harassment. More than 70% of female restaurant employees have reported being sexually harassed, and the restaurant industry generates more harassment complaints to the EEOC than any other sector. Women make up about two-thirds of tipped restaurant workers.\nTips aren\u0026rsquo;t fair in other ways, either. According to Lynn\u0026rsquo;s research, only a tiny part of a tip has anything to do with the quality of service. In an earlier Planet Money episode, he noted that the weather has about as much influence on tip size as the service does. Attractive, blond, and slender waitresses get bigger tips. Black servers get lower tips than white servers, even for comparable service.\nThis is ending up in court. In October 2026, three former Chili\u0026rsquo;s workers in New York filed a proposed class action against parent company Brinker International, saying the tipped wage and customer rating policies forced female servers and servers of color to tolerate sexism and racism to earn tips. They\u0026rsquo;re asking the court to stop the company from paying a subminimum wage.\nIt Lets Employers Pay Less # The tip credit allows employers to pay less than minimum wage. Think about what that says. The minimum wage is supposed to be the least a person can be paid for an hour of work, and the tipped wage is basically an employer saying, \u0026ldquo;If I were legally allowed to pay you less, I would.\u0026rdquo;\nTipping in America also has an ugly history. It caught on after the Civil War, when employers like railroad car companies hired formerly enslaved Black workers and paid them little or nothing, leaving them to live on tips from customers. The Washington Post laid out that history and the research on tipping\u0026rsquo;s unfairness, and it\u0026rsquo;s worth a read.\n\u0026ldquo;But Servers Make More With Tips\u0026rdquo; # Some servers do make more with tips than they would with a flat wage, especially at busy restaurants on Friday nights. I understand why some of them like the system.\nBut tips are unpredictable. A snowstorm keeps everyone home. A Tuesday lunch shift is dead. A big group leaves a pittance. A flat, reliable wage at a predictable rate might balance out over a year, and it comes with something tips don\u0026rsquo;t: knowing what your paycheck will be before you get it. That makes it a lot easier to pay the bills, qualify for a loan, or plan ahead. Tipping also isn\u0026rsquo;t shared fairly with the cooks and dishwashers in the back, who work just as hard and don\u0026rsquo;t get a cut.\nWe Tip Because We Have To # Here\u0026rsquo;s the bottom line: I still tip. I\u0026rsquo;m not going to punish a server for a system they didn\u0026rsquo;t create. We have to tip, because restaurants and other employers aren\u0026rsquo;t paying a livable wage.\nBut I\u0026rsquo;d rather see the real price on the menu and know the people serving me are getting paid fairly, no matter how busy it is, what the weather\u0026rsquo;s doing, or who sat at their table. Pay workers a real wage, put it in the price, and let a tip go back to what it was supposed to be: a little extra for exceptional service, not a worker\u0026rsquo;s whole paycheck.\nSources: U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees, Nation\u0026rsquo;s Restaurant News: Former Chili\u0026rsquo;s workers allege sex and race discrimination in tip credit lawsuit, NPR: Tips and \u0026ldquo;service with a smile\u0026rdquo; fuel sexual harassment in restaurants, Washington Post: I dare you to read this and still feel OK about tipping, NPR Planet Money: Why Do We Tip?, NPR The Indicator: Why Americans Can\u0026rsquo;t Quit Tipping.\n","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-26-tipping/","section":"Posts","summary":"I’m opposed to gratuity tipping. Not to the people who serve me, but to the system that makes them depend on my mood, my math, and whatever’s left in my wallet after the bill comes. Nobody likes paying extra. But my problem with tipping isn’t just the cost. It comes with some real negative consequences, and most of them land on the workers.\n","title":"Tip Me Off: Why I'm Against Gratuity Tipping","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/tipping/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tipping","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 26, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/workers-rights/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Workers' Rights","type":"tags"},{"content":"I donate to The Nature Conservancy. When you give to a big national group, it\u0026rsquo;s easy to picture your money going somewhere far away, like a rainforest or a coral reef. Those places matter, but I was happy to see that some of that work is happening right here in the Midwest.\nTwo preserves caught my eye: Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois and the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Ohio. I haven\u0026rsquo;t visited either one yet. I still like knowing they\u0026rsquo;re out there, holding on to the kinds of land and wildlife the Midwest used to have a lot more of.\nThe Midwest Isn\u0026rsquo;t Just Cornfields # When people drive across the Midwest, they mostly see corn, soybeans, and the occasional water tower. That\u0026rsquo;s not what the land looked like before plows. Illinois calls itself the Prairie State, and before settlers arrived, prairie covered most of it. Today almost all of that original tallgrass prairie is gone, turned into farmland, towns, and highways.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not knocking farming. The Midwest feeds a lot of people. But once a prairie or an old forest is gone, you can\u0026rsquo;t just plant it back in a season. It takes decades of work, the right seeds, fire, and a lot of patience. That\u0026rsquo;s why the places that still have the pieces are worth protecting.\nNachusa Grasslands: Bison Back in Illinois # Nachusa Grasslands sits near Franklin Grove in Lee and Ogle counties in north-central Illinois. It started with a couple of prairie enthusiasts, Dot and Doug Wade, who saw the site\u0026rsquo;s potential in the 1970s. The Nature Conservancy bought its first small parcels at auction in 1985, and by the end of 1986 it owned 397 acres. That makes 2026 the preserve\u0026rsquo;s 40th anniversary.\nToday it covers about 4,100 acres of remnant prairie, woodlands, and wetlands, and it\u0026rsquo;s one of the largest and most diverse grasslands in Illinois. Here\u0026rsquo;s what\u0026rsquo;s living there:\nMore than 700 native plant species 245 bird species Rare species like the federally endangered rusty patched bumble bee, the Blanding\u0026rsquo;s turtle, and the regal fritillary butterfly The headliner, though, is the bison. In 2014, bison came back to Nachusa, and they now roam about 1,500 fenced acres. Bison grazing is part of how a prairie is supposed to work. They eat the grasses, which leaves room for wildflowers, and their wallows create little pockets of different habitat. Calves are usually born from March to mid-May.\nWhat really impressed me is how much of this runs on volunteers. People have put in more than 200,000 volunteer hours there, collecting seed by the thousands of pounds, pulling invasive plants, fixing wetlands, and helping with controlled burns. Friends of Nachusa Grasslands, founded in 2008, organizes workdays on most Thursdays and Saturdays. That\u0026rsquo;s a lot of neighbors giving up their weekends for a prairie.\nEdge of Appalachia: Where the Mountains Meet the Midwest # The Richard and Lucile Durrell Edge of Appalachia Preserve System is in Adams County in southern Ohio, about 75 miles east of downtown Cincinnati, right where the Appalachian foothills begin. It\u0026rsquo;s around 20,000 acres, which makes it Ohio\u0026rsquo;s largest privately owned natural area. The Nature Conservancy and the Cincinnati Museum Center own and manage it together.\nThe history goes back a long way. Geologist John Locke noted how unusual the area was in 1838. In the 1920s, ecologist Dr. E. Lucy Braun studied its prairie openings, and her study area, Lynx Prairie, became The Nature Conservancy\u0026rsquo;s first preserve in Ohio. Local conservation-minded people started working to protect the land in 1959, with Braun guiding them.\nBecause it sits where different regions meet, the preserve packs in hardwood forests, dry limestone prairies, dolomite cliffs, rocky streams, and waterfalls. More than 100 rare plant and animal species live there, including the endangered Indiana bat, green salamander, and Allegheny woodrat. Eastern box turtles and northern bobwhite quail are there too.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s also a bigger plan. The Sunshine Corridor Project aims to connect the preserve to Shawnee State Forest, which would create the largest connected protected forest in Ohio. That kind of corridor gives wildlife room to move instead of being stuck on islands of habitat surrounded by roads and development.\nWhy This Is Where I Want My Money to Go # Donating can feel abstract. You send a check and hope it does some good. Reading about Nachusa and Edge of Appalachia made it more concrete for me. I can point to a map and say that bison graze in Illinois again and that a 20,000-acre forest in Ohio is staying a forest.\nIt also matters that these places are close to home. The Midwest\u0026rsquo;s natural systems are easy to overlook because they aren\u0026rsquo;t as dramatic as mountains or oceans. A prairie doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like much from the highway at 70 miles per hour. But it\u0026rsquo;s a whole system of grasses, flowers, insects, birds, and animals that took thousands of years to develop. Keeping a variety of those systems around, from prairies and wetlands to Appalachian forests, means the Midwest stays more than one big field.\nOn My List to Visit # Both preserves are open to the public from sunrise to sunset, and both have trails. Nachusa has five hiking trails and a visitor center, but you can\u0026rsquo;t hike inside the fenced bison area, and dogs aren\u0026rsquo;t allowed. Edge of Appalachia has about 27 miles of trails, including the 4.4-mile loop to the Buzzardroost Rock overlook and the 1.3-mile Lynx Prairie loop. Bring water, because there\u0026rsquo;s none on site, and don\u0026rsquo;t count on cell service.\nSeeing bison in Illinois and standing on Buzzardroost Rock are both on my list now. Until then, I\u0026rsquo;m glad part of what I give is keeping these places wild.\nSources: The Nature Conservancy: Nachusa Grasslands, Friends of Nachusa Grasslands, The Nature Conservancy: Edge of Appalachia Preserve System, Cincinnati Museum Center: Edge of Appalachia.\n","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-25-midwest-preserves/","section":"Posts","summary":"I donate to The Nature Conservancy. When you give to a big national group, it’s easy to picture your money going somewhere far away, like a rainforest or a coral reef. Those places matter, but I was happy to see that some of that work is happening right here in the Midwest.\nTwo preserves caught my eye: Nachusa Grasslands in Illinois and the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Ohio. I haven’t visited either one yet. I still like knowing they’re out there, holding on to the kinds of land and wildlife the Midwest used to have a lot more of.\n","title":"Bison, Prairie, and Box Turtles: Where My Conservation Donations Land in the Midwest","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/conservation/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Conservation","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/edge-of-appalachia/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Edge of Appalachia","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/nachusa-grasslands/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Nachusa Grasslands","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/nature-conservancy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Nature Conservancy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ohio/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Ohio","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 25, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/prairie/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Prairie","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/black-dirt/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Black Dirt","type":"tags"},{"content":"I don\u0026rsquo;t know if this is just a Midwest thing, but around here, if there\u0026rsquo;s a pile of black dirt with a \u0026ldquo;Free\u0026rdquo; sign in it, or even a rumor of free black dirt, most of the guys are interested. To show you what I mean, picture a small business seminar at the local public library on a weeknight.\n\u0026ldquo;Start Your Own Business: Finding Opportunity\u0026rdquo; # About thirty people are sitting in folding chairs in a classroom that smells like coffee and dry-erase markers. At the front is Dale, a retired small business owner who volunteers to teach entrepreneurship classes. He has a laptop, a clicker, and a slideshow he\u0026rsquo;s clearly given many times before.\n\u0026ldquo;Welcome, everyone,\u0026rdquo; Dale says. \u0026ldquo;Tonight we\u0026rsquo;re talking about how to find a business idea and test whether it\u0026rsquo;s any good. We\u0026rsquo;ll start with a tool called a SWOT analysis. That stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Strengths and weaknesses are internal. They\u0026rsquo;re about you and your business. Opportunities and threats are external. They\u0026rsquo;re about the world around you.\u0026rdquo;\nHe clicks to the next slide. It\u0026rsquo;s a photo of a front yard. On the edge of the lawn, next to the curb, there\u0026rsquo;s a big pile of rich, dark black dirt, about waist-high. Stuck in the top of the pile is a piece of cardboard on a wooden stake with one word written in black marker: FREE.\n\u0026ldquo;Now, here\u0026rsquo;s a great example,\u0026rdquo; Dale says. \u0026ldquo;One person\u0026rsquo;s problem is another person\u0026rsquo;s opportunity. This homeowner dug out a patio, and now he\u0026rsquo;s got a pile of dirt he doesn\u0026rsquo;t want. To him, it\u0026rsquo;s a problem. He\u0026rsquo;s paying nothing to get rid of it, and he\u0026rsquo;s hoping somebody takes it. But to someone else\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\nA hand goes up in the third row. It\u0026rsquo;s a guy in a seed company cap.\n\u0026ldquo;Sorry, where is that?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;It\u0026rsquo;s\u0026hellip; just an example,\u0026rdquo; Dale says. \u0026ldquo;Anyway, to someone else, that pile is\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Is it still there?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I took the picture a couple of years ago.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Huh.\u0026rdquo; The guy in the cap looks a little disappointed and writes something down anyway.\nStrengths and Weaknesses # Dale clicks forward. \u0026ldquo;Let\u0026rsquo;s start with strengths. What are you good at? What do you have that other people don\u0026rsquo;t? Maybe it\u0026rsquo;s a skill, maybe it\u0026rsquo;s equipment, maybe it\u0026rsquo;s\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;A trailer,\u0026rdquo; says a man near the window.\n\u0026ldquo;Sure, a trailer could be a strength, depending on the business.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;ve got a 5-by-10 utility trailer. I could\u0026rsquo;ve gotten that whole pile in two trips.\u0026rdquo;\nA woman in the front row turns around. \u0026ldquo;You\u0026rsquo;d need three. That\u0026rsquo;s at least a few yards.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Not if you heap it.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;You heap black dirt in a 5-by-10, you\u0026rsquo;re going to blow a tire.\u0026rdquo;\nDale clears his throat. \u0026ldquo;Great points. Equipment matters. Let\u0026rsquo;s move on to weaknesses. What are you missing? Time? Money? Experience?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;A shovel,\u0026rdquo; someone mutters. \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d have to borrow one.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Ope, I\u0026rsquo;ve got two in the truck,\u0026rdquo; says the guy in the seed cap, without looking up.\nOpportunities # \u0026ldquo;Opportunities,\u0026rdquo; Dale says, a little louder now. \u0026ldquo;This is where we look for problems people will pay to have solved. Let\u0026rsquo;s go back to that pile of dirt for a second.\u0026rdquo;\nThe whole room perks up. Someone sets down a coffee cup.\n\u0026ldquo;That homeowner didn\u0026rsquo;t want the dirt. Lots of people have the same problem: excavation leftovers, landscaping projects, a new foundation. Meanwhile, other people need dirt for gardens, low spots, or raised beds. If you can connect the two and haul it, that\u0026rsquo;s a service. That\u0026rsquo;s a business.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;So you\u0026rsquo;d sell it?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;You could. Or charge for delivery.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;But then it\u0026rsquo;s not free,\u0026rdquo; the man by the window says, frowning.\n\u0026ldquo;Well, no, that\u0026rsquo;s the point. The opportunity is\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m not paying for dirt.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;You pay for mulch,\u0026rdquo; says the woman in the front.\n\u0026ldquo;Mulch is different. Mulch is mulch.\u0026rdquo;\nDale takes a long sip of water.\nThreats # \u0026ldquo;Last part. Threats. What could hurt your business? Competition, regulations, the economy\u0026hellip;\u0026rdquo;\nA man in the back who hasn\u0026rsquo;t said a word all night raises his hand slowly.\n\u0026ldquo;Yes?\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Was it actually black dirt, or was it clay with some black dirt on top? Because a guy on my road put out a FREE sign last spring, and when I got there, it was all clay and broken concrete underneath.\u0026rdquo;\nHalf the room nods. Somebody says, \u0026ldquo;Same thing happened to my brother-in-law.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;That,\u0026rdquo; Dale says, pointing at him, \u0026ldquo;is actually a great example of a threat. Your product isn\u0026rsquo;t what you thought it was. Bad quality can ruin your reputation.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;Also, by the time I got there, somebody with a Bobcat had taken the good stuff off the top.\u0026rdquo;\n\u0026ldquo;And there\u0026rsquo;s competition,\u0026rdquo; Dale says. \u0026ldquo;Perfect. Thank you.\u0026rdquo;\nAt the break, nobody talks about business plans. Four guys are standing at the window looking at the community college\u0026rsquo;s landscaping crew, who are digging up a flower bed across the parking lot. One walks outside to ask if they\u0026rsquo;re keeping the dirt.\nDale\u0026rsquo;s wife whispers to him at the back of the classroom, \u0026ldquo;I told you to replace that dirt picture. It\u0026rsquo;s too distracting!\u0026rdquo;\nWhy Free Dirt Grabs Everyone\u0026rsquo;s Attention # That seminar might be made up and a little exaggerated, but the reaction isn\u0026rsquo;t. Mention free black dirt and you\u0026rsquo;ll find out who in the room has a truck, a trailer, or a low spot in the backyard. I think there are a few reasons why:\nIt\u0026rsquo;s actually useful. Black dirt is what most Midwesterners call topsoil: dark, rich soil with plenty of organic matter. It\u0026rsquo;s good for gardens, filling low spots, and patching up lawns. It\u0026rsquo;s expensive in bulk. Buying topsoil by the bag adds up fast, and delivered loads cost real money. Free beats any price. A lot of us have clay. Much of the Midwest has heavy clay soil that cracks in summer and is harder for plants to grow in. A load of good dirt feels like a fix. It\u0026rsquo;s a project. Shoveling a pile of dirt into a truck is honest work with a visible result. Some people find that relaxing. Some people are just bored. It\u0026rsquo;s a find. Scoring something free that other people pay for is its own reward. It\u0026rsquo;s like finding a good garage sale, but heavier. Heck, I\u0026rsquo;d take some black dirt myself. Parts of my yard are clay, and a few spots need leveling. If I drove past that pile with the FREE sign, I\u0026rsquo;d come back with some buckets and a shovel.\nBefore You Haul It Home # Free dirt can come with surprises, so check it before you load it:\nLook under the top layer. Dig in a few spots. You want dark, crumbly soil, not clay, gravel, or chunks of concrete. Watch for weeds and roots. Dirt from an old garden or lawn can bring weed seeds, grass roots, and invasive plants along with it. Ask where it came from. Dirt from near a driveway, old building, or industrial site could have contaminants you don\u0026rsquo;t want in a vegetable garden. (Although it\u0026rsquo;s free, so most people offering the dirt don\u0026rsquo;t want to be bothered with it.) Respect your vehicle\u0026rsquo;s limits. Soil is heavy, and a cubic yard of moist topsoil can weigh more than a ton. A pickup bed can hold more dirt by volume than it can safely carry, so check your payload rating before you fill it to the top. Bring your own shovel. Unless you sit next to the guy in the seed company cap. And if you\u0026rsquo;re ever planning a seminar, perhaps come up with a different example than free dirt unless you want your audience to be distracted.\n","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-24-free-black-dirt/","section":"Posts","summary":"I don’t know if this is just a Midwest thing, but around here, if there’s a pile of black dirt with a “Free” sign in it, or even a rumor of free black dirt, most of the guys are interested. To show you what I mean, picture a small business seminar at the local public library on a weeknight.\n","title":"Free Black Dirt. Caught your attention?","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/gardening/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gardening","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/humor/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Humor","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/small-business/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Small Business","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/topsoil/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Topsoil","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/electric-vehicles/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Electric Vehicles","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ev-charging/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"EV Charging","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/home-improvement/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Home Improvement","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/housing/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Housing","type":"tags"},{"content":"If you buy a newly built house in Illinois, the garage is supposed to be ready for an electric car. Well, partly ready. The state\u0026rsquo;s Electric Vehicle Charging Act, which took effect on January 1, 2024, requires new homes to be \u0026ldquo;EV-capable.\u0026rdquo; That means the hard parts of the wiring job are started, but nobody has to finish it.\nWhat the Law Requires # The Electric Vehicle Charging Act (765 ILCS 1085) passed as Public Act 103-53. It covers a few different kinds of housing:\nNew single-family homes and small multifamily buildings (2 to 4 units): at least one EV-capable parking space for each unit that has dedicated parking. New large multifamily buildings (5 or more units): 100% of the parking spaces must be EV-capable. The same applies when a developer renovates a large building to convert it into condos, unless that would mean digging up an existing parking lot. Affordable housing developments: these got a later timeline and their own requirements. The law also protects people who already live in condos and common interest communities. An association can\u0026rsquo;t ban or unreasonably restrict a unit owner from installing a charger at their own parking space. If the association doesn\u0026rsquo;t deny an application in writing within 60 days, it\u0026rsquo;s considered approved. There are similar protections for renters.\nWhat \u0026ldquo;EV-Capable\u0026rdquo; Actually Means # This is the important part. Under the law, an EV-capable parking space has:\nReserved panel capacity: The electrical panel needs space for a 2-pole breaker and enough spare capacity for a 208-volt or 240-volt circuit of 40 amps or more. A continuous raceway or conduit: It runs from the panel to an enclosure or outlet box within 3 feet of the parking space. A label: Both ends are marked \u0026ldquo;For future electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE).\u0026rdquo; What the law doesn\u0026rsquo;t require is just as important. The builder doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to put in the 240-volt outlet, the NEMA plug, or a charging station. The law even spells out that builders don\u0026rsquo;t have to run wire through the conduit. You get an empty pipe and a reserved spot in the panel.\nThe law separately defines \u0026ldquo;EV-ready,\u0026rdquo; which means an actual branch circuit ending in an outlet or junction box, and \u0026ldquo;EVSE-installed,\u0026rdquo; which means a charger is fully installed. Neither of those is required for new homes.\nMy Ope-pinion: Good Start, Weird Stopping Point # I think this is a good basic step. It\u0026rsquo;s long-term thinking. A house lasts for decades, and the people who live in it and the technology they use can change a lot over that time. Whoever buys a home built today may not drive an EV, but the next owner, or the one after that, very likely will.\nDevelopers pushed back on the requirement, which isn\u0026rsquo;t surprising. They don\u0026rsquo;t like any new requirement or added cost, even a small one. But running conduit while the walls are open is cheap compared to doing it after the drywall is up and painted. The law itself says the goal is to provide \u0026ldquo;the electrical elements that are difficult to install during a retrofit.\u0026rdquo;\nStill, stopping without the outlet is a weird place to stop. The conduit is already there and the panel space is reserved, so pulling wire and putting in a receptacle is a small job during construction. Leaving it off means the homeowner has to call an electrician later anyway, and that\u0026rsquo;s an inconvenience. The empty panel space can also get used up. Over the years, other projects like a hot tub, a new air conditioner, a workshop, or a finished basement can claim that spot in the panel before anyone gets around to the car. A dedicated outlet makes the reservation stick.\nWhat It Looks Like Without It # My house is older, so it didn\u0026rsquo;t come with any of this. When I got my EV, I hired electricians to run a new circuit to my garage so I could install a Level 2 charger. The photo above is the result: a 240-volt outlet, with the conduit running up the garage wall to it, and the charger mounted beside it.\nIt works great, and Level 2 charging at home is one of the best parts of owning an EV. But if the outlet, or even just the conduit, had already been there, the job would have been easier and the result would look nicer. I got lucky. My electrical service is fairly close to my garage, so the run wasn\u0026rsquo;t long and the electricians didn\u0026rsquo;t have to go through any finished walls. Plenty of people aren\u0026rsquo;t that lucky. If the panel is in a basement on the far side of the house, the same job can mean fishing wire through finished walls and ceilings, or running a lot of surface conduit, and the cost climbs fast.\nIf You\u0026rsquo;re Building or Buying New # If you\u0026rsquo;re buying a new home in Illinois, ask the builder where the EV-capable space is and what\u0026rsquo;s at the end of the conduit. If you\u0026rsquo;re working with a builder before construction, it may be worth paying a little extra to have the wire pulled and a 240-volt outlet installed now, while it\u0026rsquo;s easy. Even if you don\u0026rsquo;t plan to buy an EV, it\u0026rsquo;s a feature the next buyer may appreciate.\nAnd if you\u0026rsquo;re in an older house like mine, have an electrician take a look at your panel and the path to your garage before you shop for a charger. The answer to \u0026ldquo;how hard will this be?\u0026rdquo; depends a lot on where your panel is.\nSources: Illinois General Assembly: Electric Vehicle Charging Act (765 ILCS 1085).\n","date":"October 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-23-ev-capable-homes/","section":"Posts","summary":"If you buy a newly built house in Illinois, the garage is supposed to be ready for an electric car. Well, partly ready. The state’s Electric Vehicle Charging Act, which took effect on January 1, 2024, requires new homes to be “EV-capable.” That means the hard parts of the wiring job are started, but nobody has to finish it.\n","title":"Illinois Makes New Homes EV-Capable, but Stops Short of the Outlet","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cheese/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cheese","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/food/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Food","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/wisconsin/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Wisconsin","type":"tags"},{"content":"Wisconsin is widely celebrated as \u0026ldquo;America\u0026rsquo;s Dairyland,\u0026rdquo; a title it earned through centuries of dedication to dairy farming and the production of world-class cheeses. The state is one of the leading producers of cheese in the United States, boasting a diverse and sophisticated industry that ranges from massive industrial production to small-scale artisanal cheesemaking. Wisconsin’s unique climate and fertile lands provide the ideal environment for high-quality pasture-raised milk, which serves as the foundation for the state’s famous varieties, including sharp cheddars, creamy mozzarellas, and specialty farmhouse cheeses.\nThe popularity of Wisconsin cheese extends far beyond its borders, with the \u0026ldquo;Wisconsin Cheese\u0026rdquo; brand serving as a hallmark of quality in national and international markets. The state’s cheese industry is characterized by a robust cooperative system and a commitment to innovation, with many producers focusing on \u0026ldquo;farm-to-table\u0026rdquo; practices. This dedication to quality has fostered a rich culinary culture where cheese is not just a commodity but a staple of the state\u0026rsquo;s identity, found in everything from a Friday fish fry plate to sophisticated charcuterie boards.\nFor those looking to experience the heart of Wisconsin\u0026rsquo;s dairy culture, the best time to visit is during the peak of the festival season in the summer months (June through September). These months host numerous cheese festivals and \u0026ldquo;Cheese Trails\u0026rdquo; where visitors can tour creameries, sample fresh curds, and learn about the aging process. Notable events include the Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, Colby Cheese Days in Colby, and various county fairs that highlight local agricultural achievements.\nThe Squeak # I love cheese, and cheese curds most of all. When I was a kid, they were a lot harder to find outside of Wisconsin, so getting a bag of fresh curds was a real treat. Now they\u0026rsquo;re in grocery stores and on restaurant menus all over the Midwest, usually battered and fried, but I still think the fresh ones are the best.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve never had fresh curds, they\u0026rsquo;re the young, unaged pieces of cheese that are cut from the curd before it gets pressed into a block of cheddar. The sign of a truly fresh curd is the squeak. Long, elastic protein strands in the fresh cheese rub against your teeth and make a little squeaking sound. That squeak fades within a day or two, and refrigeration speeds it up. Many Wisconsinners will tell you that curds should never go in the fridge on the first day. A few seconds in the microwave can bring back a little bit of the squeak.\nThe best place to get them is straight from a cheese factory or a farm stand in Wisconsin, ideally the same day they were made. If you\u0026rsquo;re driving through, look for the signs. You won\u0026rsquo;t have to look hard. Thanks to some in-laws and extended family, my go-to is Pine River Dairy.\nTo explore the history of Wisconsin\u0026rsquo;s dairy industry or plan a trip to sample the state\u0026rsquo;s finest offerings, you can visit these official resources:\nWisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Wisconsin Cheese (Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin) Travel Wisconsin (Official Tourism Site) ","date":"October 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-22-wisconsin-cheese/","section":"Posts","summary":"Wisconsin is widely celebrated as “America’s Dairyland,” a title it earned through centuries of dedication to dairy farming and the production of world-class cheeses. The state is one of the leading producers of cheese in the United States, boasting a diverse and sophisticated industry that ranges from massive industrial production to small-scale artisanal cheesemaking. Wisconsin’s unique climate and fertile lands provide the ideal environment for high-quality pasture-raised milk, which serves as the foundation for the state’s famous varieties, including sharp cheddars, creamy mozzarellas, and specialty farmhouse cheeses.\nThe popularity of Wisconsin cheese extends far beyond its borders, with the “Wisconsin Cheese” brand serving as a hallmark of quality in national and international markets. The state’s cheese industry is characterized by a robust cooperative system and a commitment to innovation, with many producers focusing on “farm-to-table” practices. This dedication to quality has fostered a rich culinary culture where cheese is not just a commodity but a staple of the state’s identity, found in everything from a Friday fish fry plate to sophisticated charcuterie boards.\nFor those looking to experience the heart of Wisconsin’s dairy culture, the best time to visit is during the peak of the festival season in the summer months (June through September). These months host numerous cheese festivals and “Cheese Trails” where visitors can tour creameries, sample fresh curds, and learn about the aging process. Notable events include the Green County Cheese Days in Monroe, the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, Colby Cheese Days in Colby, and various county fairs that highlight local agricultural achievements.\nThe Squeak # I love cheese, and cheese curds most of all. When I was a kid, they were a lot harder to find outside of Wisconsin, so getting a bag of fresh curds was a real treat. Now they’re in grocery stores and on restaurant menus all over the Midwest, usually battered and fried, but I still think the fresh ones are the best.\nIf you’ve never had fresh curds, they’re the young, unaged pieces of cheese that are cut from the curd before it gets pressed into a block of cheddar. The sign of a truly fresh curd is the squeak. Long, elastic protein strands in the fresh cheese rub against your teeth and make a little squeaking sound. That squeak fades within a day or two, and refrigeration speeds it up. Many Wisconsinners will tell you that curds should never go in the fridge on the first day. A few seconds in the microwave can bring back a little bit of the squeak.\nThe best place to get them is straight from a cheese factory or a farm stand in Wisconsin, ideally the same day they were made. If you’re driving through, look for the signs. You won’t have to look hard. Thanks to some in-laws and extended family, my go-to is Pine River Dairy.\n","title":"Wisconsin Cheese","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/millennials/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Millennials","type":"tags"},{"content":"Here\u0026rsquo;s my millennial trait: I can\u0026rsquo;t stand smoke.\nThese days, the smell of pot seems to take over quite a few places, mostly parking lots. You get out of the car, and before you\u0026rsquo;ve even locked the doors, there it is. It\u0026rsquo;s skunky, it\u0026rsquo;s strong, and it hangs in the air long after whoever made it has driven away.\nBut I\u0026rsquo;m not going to just point fingers at the stoners. I have neighbors, a few older guys a couple of houses away, who like to sit outside and smoke cigars. The smell is just as bad as the marijuana, and it drifts right across the yards. I have a feeling those same guys complain about \u0026ldquo;the youth these days\u0026rdquo; and their weed. Smoke is smoke. A cigar doesn\u0026rsquo;t smell better just because it comes with a lawn chair and a few decades of tradition.\nOutdoors Is Still Better Than Indoors # To be fair, outdoors is still better than indoors. Outside, the smoke spreads out, the wind carries it off, and you can usually walk away from it. That wasn\u0026rsquo;t always an option.\nI grew up with smoking sections in restaurants. The host would ask, \u0026ldquo;Smoking or non?\u0026rdquo; as if the answer made a difference. It\u0026rsquo;s not like the smoke stayed in the smoking section. It drifted over the half-wall, through the whole dining room, and into your clothes and hair. The bowling alley was even worse. The place just stunk, and you\u0026rsquo;d come home smelling like an ashtray even if you never touched a cigarette.\nThen one day it went away. A state law passed, smoking indoors in public places ended, and just like that, restaurants and bowling alleys smelled like food and lane oil instead of stale smoke.\nYou Don\u0026rsquo;t Know What You\u0026rsquo;ve Got # Even though I lived through the smoky years, I quickly came to take the change for granted. Smoke-free became normal so fast that I forgot what it used to be like.\nThen I took a trip across state lines to Missouri, and a dinner in St. Louis brought it all back. Missouri is one of the few states without a statewide smoke-free law. It leaves most of the decisions to cities, counties, and business owners, which means the rules change from one place to the next and there are still exceptions. Sitting there, I was reminded how nice it is to not have cigarette smoke in indoor places you can\u0026rsquo;t escape. I do not want to taste cigarette smoke with my food!\nThis Isn\u0026rsquo;t Just About the Smell # The smell is the part you notice, but the harm is the part that matters. Back in 2006, the U.S. Surgeon General concluded that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Even short exposures can be harmful, especially for kids and for people with asthma or heart disease. Secondhand smoke from cigars contains the same kinds of toxic chemicals as cigarette smoke, and a cigar puts out a lot more of it. Marijuana smoke contains many of the same harmful substances as tobacco smoke too.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s why smoke-free laws were such a big deal. They protected the waitress and the bartender, who had to breathe that air for an entire shift, and the kids who didn\u0026rsquo;t get a choice about where their parents took them to dinner.\nThe Next Generation Gets Clean Air # I\u0026rsquo;m very happy that the next generation doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to live through that smell and harm in public places. Most kids today have never been asked \u0026ldquo;smoking or non?\u0026rdquo; and have no idea what a bowling alley used to smell like. That\u0026rsquo;s a win.\nNow we just need to stop them from vaping, for their own sake. Vapes were marketed as the safer option, and plenty of teens picked them up without ever touching a cigarette. The research is still catching up, but it isn\u0026rsquo;t looking good. A 2026 review of more than 100 studies, led by researchers at UNSW Sydney and published in the journal Carcinogenesis, concluded that nicotine e-cigarettes are likely associated with lung and oral cancer, although there isn\u0026rsquo;t yet enough long-term data to say how big the risk is. Other studies have found higher lung cancer risk in people who both smoke and vape. On top of that, there\u0026rsquo;s the nicotine itself, which is highly addictive and especially hard on developing brains.\nWe cleared the smoke out of restaurants, bars, and bowling alleys. It would be a shame to let a fruity cloud of vapor undo that progress. If you have kids or grandkids, talk to them about it, and maybe skip the cigar on the porch while you\u0026rsquo;re at it.\nSources: Surgeon General\u0026rsquo;s report on secondhand smoke (CDC), Americans for Nonsmokers\u0026rsquo; Rights: Missouri, ESMO Open systematic review on vaping and lung cancer.\n","date":"October 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-19-smoke-free/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Pot, Cigars, and the Smoking Section I Don't Miss","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/secondhand-smoke/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Secondhand Smoke","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/smoke-free-laws/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Smoke-Free Laws","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/vaping/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Vaping","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/shawnee-national-forest/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Shawnee National Forest","type":"tags"},{"content":"Most roads close for construction. One road in Southern Illinois closes for snakes.\nSnake Road is the nickname for Forest Service Road 345, a 2.5-mile gravel stretch of LaRue Road in Union County, Illinois, inside the Shawnee National Forest. It runs along the bottom of the Pine Hills, with 150-foot limestone bluffs on one side and LaRue Swamp on the other. That layout is the whole story. Snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles spend the winter tucked into cracks and crevices in the bluffs, then move to the swamp in spring to feed and breed. In fall, they head back to the rocks. The road sits right in the middle of their commute.\nUntil 1972, the road was open to traffic year-round, and a lot of animals didn\u0026rsquo;t make it across. The U.S. Forest Service started closing the road during migration, and those closures were eventually stretched to about two months each season to cover the early and late travelers. Today the road is closed to vehicles roughly March 15 to May 15 and September 1 to October 30. The Forest Service will move the dates when the weather calls for it; in 2025, a warm spell pushed the spring closure up a few days. If you\u0026rsquo;re reading this on the day it was posted, the fall closure is still on.\nAll of this raises an important legal question: does a snake count as a pedestrian? The word comes from the Latin pes, meaning \u0026ldquo;foot,\u0026rdquo; and snakes are working with zero of those. The Forest Service has wisely decided not to argue the point and just gives them the right of way.\nClosed to cars doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean closed to people. Visitors are welcome to walk the road during migration, and that\u0026rsquo;s the best time to go. It\u0026rsquo;s an easy, flat walk on gravel, and the trip takes an hour or two each way depending on how often you stop to look at things in the leaves.\nWhy This Spot Matters # Snake Road runs through the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area, about 2,800 acres that became the nation\u0026rsquo;s 250th Research Natural Area in 1991. The surrounding area was also named a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1974. The Forest Service sets these areas aside for research and long-term protection, not for development.\nThe numbers are what make this place unusual. According to the Forest Service:\nAbout 66% of Illinois\u0026rsquo;s known amphibian species and 59% of its reptile species are found here. More than 1,350 species of plants and animals live in the area, spread across 14 different natural communities. Roughly 35 species of snakes have been recorded here, along with about 90% of the state\u0026rsquo;s mammal species and 173 kinds of birds. Part of the reason is geography. This corner of Illinois is where a lot of different habitats bump into each other: Ozark-style hills, southern swamps, upland forest, and patches of prairie, all within walking distance. Animals from the south reach their northern limit here, and animals from the north reach their southern limit. You get a little of everything.\nWhat You Might See # The usual list includes copperheads, western cottonmouths, eastern hognose snakes, rat snakes, racers, ribbon snakes, and several kinds of water snakes. Spotted salamanders, bullfrogs, and eastern box turtles show up too. Bobcats, bald eagles, and Mississippi kites live in the area, though they\u0026rsquo;re less likely to pose for a photo.\nTwo of those snakes, the copperhead and the cottonmouth, are venomous. Neither one is looking for trouble. The practical advice is the same as with most wildlife: watch where you step, look before you put your hand on a rock or log, and if you see a venomous snake, give it room and back away slowly. Long pants and real shoes beat shorts and sandals here.\nThe Rules # The rules are short and the Forest Service takes them seriously:\nNo collecting of any kind. That includes plants, rocks, and animals. No catching, handling, herding, or harassing snakes, or anything else that lives there. Unauthorized collecting and handling of these species is illegal under both federal and state law. Stay out of the way and let the animals cross. During migration, the Forest Service often has trained \u0026ldquo;Snake Sentinel\u0026rdquo; volunteers on the road. They help identify species, collect data, and answer questions. If you don\u0026rsquo;t know what you\u0026rsquo;re looking at, they are the people to ask.\nGetting There # Park at the small gravel lot at Winters Pond, which holds about 15 vehicles. On a nice weekend in April or October, it fills up early, so plan accordingly.\nFrom Jonesboro: Take Illinois Route 146 west about 8 miles to Route 3. Go north on Route 3 about 8 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. From Murphysboro: Take Illinois Route 149 west about 7 miles to Route 3. Go south on Route 3 about 14 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. Cell service is spotty in this part of the forest. Download a map before you leave home. The nearest hospital is St. Joseph\u0026rsquo;s in Murphysboro.\nA Note From the Trail # I\u0026rsquo;ve hiked and camped in the Shawnee National Forest, and I\u0026rsquo;ll be honest: I didn\u0026rsquo;t see a single snake. Depending on your feelings about cottonmouths, that\u0026rsquo;s either a disappointment or a relief. What I did see was some of the best scenery in the Midwest, and it surprises people who think Illinois is nothing but cornfields and Chicago. The highlight was the Garden of the Gods on the eastern side of the forest, where sandstone bluffs and rock formations like Camel Rock stick up out of the trees and look out over miles of rolling hills. It\u0026rsquo;s roughly a two-hour drive from Snake Road, so it\u0026rsquo;s hard to do both in one day, but if you\u0026rsquo;re camping for a weekend, plan on both. Go to Snake Road for the wildlife and the Garden of the Gods for the view.\nIf you want to make a day of it, the Pine Hills area has bluff-top overlooks of the Mississippi River valley, including Inspiration Point. Clear Springs Wilderness, the River to River Trail, Oakwood Bottoms, and the Pine Hills Campground are all close by.\nThe Takeaway # It would be easy to pave the road, open it up, and accept some roadkill as a cost of doing business. Instead, a few times a year, people agree to park the car and walk. That\u0026rsquo;s a small inconvenience, and it has kept one of the most diverse spots in the Midwest working the way it has for thousands of years. Not every problem needs a big solution. Sometimes you just close the gate for a couple of months.\nCheck current closure dates and conditions before you go:\nShawnee National Forest: Snake Road closure announcement (USDA Forest Service) Snake Road visitor information (Union County Tourism) LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area (Great River Road Illinois) Clear Springs Wilderness and LaRue-Pine Hills (Wikipedia) CBS Chicago covered the migration and the road closure in this report:\n","date":"October 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-17-snake-road/","section":"Posts","summary":"Most roads close for construction. One road in Southern Illinois closes for snakes.\nSnake Road is the nickname for Forest Service Road 345, a 2.5-mile gravel stretch of LaRue Road in Union County, Illinois, inside the Shawnee National Forest. It runs along the bottom of the Pine Hills, with 150-foot limestone bluffs on one side and LaRue Swamp on the other. That layout is the whole story. Snakes, salamanders, frogs, and turtles spend the winter tucked into cracks and crevices in the bluffs, then move to the swamp in spring to feed and breed. In fall, they head back to the rocks. The road sits right in the middle of their commute.\nUntil 1972, the road was open to traffic year-round, and a lot of animals didn’t make it across. The U.S. Forest Service started closing the road during migration, and those closures were eventually stretched to about two months each season to cover the early and late travelers. Today the road is closed to vehicles roughly March 15 to May 15 and September 1 to October 30. The Forest Service will move the dates when the weather calls for it; in 2025, a warm spell pushed the spring closure up a few days. If you’re reading this on the day it was posted, the fall closure is still on.\nAll of this raises an important legal question: does a snake count as a pedestrian? The word comes from the Latin pes, meaning “foot,” and snakes are working with zero of those. The Forest Service has wisely decided not to argue the point and just gives them the right of way.\nClosed to cars doesn’t mean closed to people. Visitors are welcome to walk the road during migration, and that’s the best time to go. It’s an easy, flat walk on gravel, and the trip takes an hour or two each way depending on how often you stop to look at things in the leaves.\nWhy This Spot Matters # Snake Road runs through the LaRue-Pine Hills/Otter Pond Research Natural Area, about 2,800 acres that became the nation’s 250th Research Natural Area in 1991. The surrounding area was also named a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service in 1974. The Forest Service sets these areas aside for research and long-term protection, not for development.\nThe numbers are what make this place unusual. According to the Forest Service:\nAbout 66% of Illinois’s known amphibian species and 59% of its reptile species are found here. More than 1,350 species of plants and animals live in the area, spread across 14 different natural communities. Roughly 35 species of snakes have been recorded here, along with about 90% of the state’s mammal species and 173 kinds of birds. Part of the reason is geography. This corner of Illinois is where a lot of different habitats bump into each other: Ozark-style hills, southern swamps, upland forest, and patches of prairie, all within walking distance. Animals from the south reach their northern limit here, and animals from the north reach their southern limit. You get a little of everything.\nWhat You Might See # The usual list includes copperheads, western cottonmouths, eastern hognose snakes, rat snakes, racers, ribbon snakes, and several kinds of water snakes. Spotted salamanders, bullfrogs, and eastern box turtles show up too. Bobcats, bald eagles, and Mississippi kites live in the area, though they’re less likely to pose for a photo.\nTwo of those snakes, the copperhead and the cottonmouth, are venomous. Neither one is looking for trouble. The practical advice is the same as with most wildlife: watch where you step, look before you put your hand on a rock or log, and if you see a venomous snake, give it room and back away slowly. Long pants and real shoes beat shorts and sandals here.\nThe Rules # The rules are short and the Forest Service takes them seriously:\nNo collecting of any kind. That includes plants, rocks, and animals. No catching, handling, herding, or harassing snakes, or anything else that lives there. Unauthorized collecting and handling of these species is illegal under both federal and state law. Stay out of the way and let the animals cross. During migration, the Forest Service often has trained “Snake Sentinel” volunteers on the road. They help identify species, collect data, and answer questions. If you don’t know what you’re looking at, they are the people to ask.\nGetting There # Park at the small gravel lot at Winters Pond, which holds about 15 vehicles. On a nice weekend in April or October, it fills up early, so plan accordingly.\nFrom Jonesboro: Take Illinois Route 146 west about 8 miles to Route 3. Go north on Route 3 about 8 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. From Murphysboro: Take Illinois Route 149 west about 7 miles to Route 3. Go south on Route 3 about 14 miles to Muddy Levee Road, then east about 3 miles to LaRue Road. Turn right at the T into the Winters Pond lot. Cell service is spotty in this part of the forest. Download a map before you leave home. The nearest hospital is St. Joseph’s in Murphysboro.\nA Note From the Trail # I’ve hiked and camped in the Shawnee National Forest, and I’ll be honest: I didn’t see a single snake. Depending on your feelings about cottonmouths, that’s either a disappointment or a relief. What I did see was some of the best scenery in the Midwest, and it surprises people who think Illinois is nothing but cornfields and Chicago. The highlight was the Garden of the Gods on the eastern side of the forest, where sandstone bluffs and rock formations like Camel Rock stick up out of the trees and look out over miles of rolling hills. It’s roughly a two-hour drive from Snake Road, so it’s hard to do both in one day, but if you’re camping for a weekend, plan on both. Go to Snake Road for the wildlife and the Garden of the Gods for the view.\nIf you want to make a day of it, the Pine Hills area has bluff-top overlooks of the Mississippi River valley, including Inspiration Point. Clear Springs Wilderness, the River to River Trail, Oakwood Bottoms, and the Pine Hills Campground are all close by.\nThe Takeaway # It would be easy to pave the road, open it up, and accept some roadkill as a cost of doing business. Instead, a few times a year, people agree to park the car and walk. That’s a small inconvenience, and it has kept one of the most diverse spots in the Midwest working the way it has for thousands of years. Not every problem needs a big solution. Sometimes you just close the gate for a couple of months.\n","title":"Snake Road: Why Did the Snake Cross the Road?","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"October 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/wildlife/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Wildlife","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/artificial-intelligence/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Artificial Intelligence","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/automation/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Automation","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/business/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Business","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"October 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/technology/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Technology","type":"tags"},{"content":"If you\u0026rsquo;ve spent any time working in corporate strategy, tech, or even just managing a local small business project, you\u0026rsquo;ve probably noticed an obsession with efficiency. We love a good spreadsheet. We love shaving ten seconds off a workflow, cutting a line item, or automating a manual process. It feels productive. It feels modern.\nThe trouble is, we often fall into a cognitive trap while doing it, one famously diagnosed by Ogilvy UK Vice Chairman Rory Sutherland in his 2019 book, Alchemy: The Surprising Power of Ideas That Don\u0026rsquo;t Make Sense.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s called the Doorman Fallacy, and it\u0026rsquo;s the exact reason why so many tech implementations, SaaS rollouts, and AI overhauls end up quietly ruining the very things they were supposed to improve.\nThe Origin: The Hotel Entrance # To understand the fallacy, Sutherland asks us to imagine a classic optimization scenario.\nPicture a grand, five-star hotel. Out front stands a uniformed doorman. His salary is a tidy line item on the annual budget. Along comes an efficiency consultant armed with a clipboard and a spreadsheet. The consultant watches the entrance for a few hours, looks at the job description, and pinpoints the primary function: opening the door.\n\u0026ldquo;Look,\u0026rdquo; the consultant says, \u0026ldquo;we can install an automatic sliding glass door for a fraction of the cost. The doorman is redundant. Fire him, put in the sensor, and pocket the savings.\u0026rdquo;\nThe hotel management follows the advice, cuts the salary, and installs the sliding doors. On paper, it\u0026rsquo;s a brilliant move. Expenses go down immediately.\nExcept the spreadsheet failed to capture what the doorman was actually doing.\nThe doorman wasn\u0026rsquo;t just a mechanical lever for physical entry. He was recognizing regular guests by name, spotting suspicious characters before they entered the lobby, deterring loiterers, hailing cabs in a downpour, and offering an immediate, reassuring touchpoint of luxury and safety. An automatic door doesn\u0026rsquo;t hail a cab. A sliding glass panel doesn\u0026rsquo;t notice that a guest is having a rough day and needs a quiet word. By defining the job strictly by its most obvious, visible output, the hotel traded away its intangible, high-value magic for a meager line-item reduction.\nBeyond the Doorman: The Corporate Meeting Gatekeeper # The doorman fallacy isn\u0026rsquo;t restricted to luxury hotels; it shows up everywhere humans try to reduce complex social roles to mechanical tasks.\nTake the traditional executive assistant or office manager.\nTo a strict cost-cutter, an EA\u0026rsquo;s job looks like a bundle of administrative friction: scheduling calendar invites, booking flights, formatting PowerPoint slides, and ordering catering. With modern tools, calendars can be self-managed, flights booked via apps, and AI can draft emails.\nSo, companies strip away the layer of administrative support to \u0026ldquo;empower everyone to manage their own workflows.\u0026rdquo;\nThe catch? A great EA is the institutional nervous system of an office. They know which executive is about to blow a gasket, which client needs a delicate touch, and what unspoken office politics are brewing beneath the surface of an email chain. They act as a cultural shock absorber and a context-carrier. When you automate them away because \u0026ldquo;scheduling is just a software problem,\u0026rdquo; you lose the human intuition that was keeping the operational gears aligned. You saved on salary, but you lost organizational situational awareness.\nThe Modern Tech Trap: SaaS and AI # As we barrel further into an era dominated by Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) and generative AI, the doorman fallacy has become our default corporate blind spot.\n1. Customer Service and the AI Voice Bot # We\u0026rsquo;ve all experienced the modern corporate impulse to replace human customer support reps with automated chat widgets or conversational AI voice bots. On a balance sheet, human support agents are expensive, unpredictable, and prone to taking lunch breaks. An AI bot costs pennies per query and runs 24/7.\nThe fallacy kicks in when companies assume a customer service representative\u0026rsquo;s sole function is data retrieval, answering a simple FAQ or processing a tracking number. But human support often functions as a brand retention tool and an emotional safety valve. When a customer is deeply frustrated because a product broke or an order went missing, they don\u0026rsquo;t just want a transactional answer; they want validation and empathy. An AI loop that stubbornly repeats, \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m sorry, I didn\u0026rsquo;t get that,\u0026rdquo; doesn\u0026rsquo;t streamline the experience. It turns a mildly annoyed customer into a permanent churn risk.\n2. The White-Collar AI \u0026ldquo;Optimization\u0026rdquo; # We are seeing identical patterns in white-collar spaces, where companies attempt to streamline writing, coding, or legal discovery by feeding everything into an LLM. Management looks at a junior analyst or writer and thinks: “They just synthesize text and summarize data. Our new enterprise model can do that in two seconds.”\nWhat the efficiency model misses is that junior roles are where tacit knowledge is built. The junior writer or analyst absorbs the culture, learns client preferences through osmosis, and makes mistakes safely in the margins. When you hollow out the entry-level tier under the assumption that AI can execute the \u0026ldquo;doorman task\u0026rdquo; of typing out reports, you starve the ecosystem of future senior leadership. You optimized the immediate task while breaking the long-term pipeline.\nThe Takeaway for Practical Problem-Solvers # It\u0026rsquo;s easy to dismiss this as old-school pushback against technology, but that misses the point. Technology is great; automation is essential. The problem isn\u0026rsquo;t the tools. It\u0026rsquo;s the lazy definitions.\nBefore we rush to automate a role, cut a department, or replace a human workflow with a sleek piece of software, we need to ask ourselves a better set of questions:\nWhat are we measuring, and what are we ignoring? What does this person or process signal to the outside world? What would we only notice is gone after it stops happening? Efficiency is a wonderful tool, but effectiveness is what keeps a business alive. If your cost-cutting measures leave you with a perfectly automated front door that nobody actually wants to walk through, you have just engineered yourself out of business.\n","date":"October 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-10-01-doorman-fallacy/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Understanding the 'Doorman Fallacy' in the Age of AI","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/carbon-footprint/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Carbon Footprint","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/clean-energy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Clean Energy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/climate-change/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Climate Change","type":"tags"},{"content":"If you\u0026rsquo;ve ever felt a quiet wave of guilt while throwing away a plastic container or leaving a room with the lights on, you\u0026rsquo;re not alone. Most of us want to do our part for the environment. We bring our reusable shopping bags to the grocery store, install LED lights and solar panels, and second-guess our everyday purchases. But if you take a step back, it\u0026rsquo;s worth asking how individual lifestyle choices became the primary lens through which we talk about climate change.\nHistory # For nearly two decades, the concept of the \u0026ldquo;carbon footprint\u0026rdquo; has dominated the sustainability conversation. Its framing suggests that climate change is essentially a personal accounting problem. If each of us simply calculated our daily emissions and trimmed our personal habits, we could solve a global crisis.\nWhat many people don\u0026rsquo;t realize is that this framework didn\u0026rsquo;t emerge organically from environmental scientists. It was popularized by a major fossil fuel corporation. In 2004, BP (formerly British Petroleum) partnered with the public relations firm Ogilvy \u0026amp; Mather to launch a multi-million-dollar marketing campaign focused on the individual \u0026ldquo;carbon footprint.\u0026rdquo;\nAs part of the campaign, BP released one of the world\u0026rsquo;s first widely accessible carbon footprint calculators. It allowed everyday consumers to measure how their diets, travel habits, and home heating choices contributed to global carbon emissions. On the surface, it appeared to be a helpful tool for personal responsibility and environmental awareness.\nMisdirection # In reality, it was a masterclass in strategic narrative shifting. By encouraging individuals to measure and obsess over their personal footprints, the campaign effectively redirected public scrutiny away from industrial polluters and fossil fuel extraction. While major energy companies continued lobbying against regulatory reform and expanding fossil fuel production, consumers were left feeling personally responsible for a global industrial system.\nPersonal responsibility certainly has a place. Making conscientious choices about waste, energy use, and consumption is a practical and meaningful way to live aligned with our values. However, treating individual behavior as the primary solution to a structural problem is fundamentally flawed. You cannot solve a systemic issue solely through localized, personal restraint.\nWave of the Future # Some climate experts are proposing it is time to pivot from the restrictive concept of the carbon footprint toward a \u0026ldquo;Carbon Wave\u0026rdquo;.\nWhere a footprint represents a static, isolated mark left behind, a wave represents collective momentum and directional energy. A footprint looks backward at personal consumption; a wave looks forward at systemic impact. Moving toward a Carbon Wave mindset means shifting our focus from individual self-scrutiny to high-leverage, collective action.\nIn practice, riding a Carbon Wave means prioritizing solutions that scale. Instead of spending endless energy agonizing over minor personal emissions, we can direct our focus toward advocacy for clean grid infrastructure, supporting municipal clean energy initiatives, and holding corporate polluters accountable to clear transition goals.\nWhen we focus on building momentum, we work to make sustainable choices the default rather than a high-effort personal burden. Upgrading energy grids, expanding public transportation, and supporting community solar projects that ensure clean energy powers homes automatically, without requiring consumers to micro-manage every household decision.\nWe can continue to practice sensible, mindful habits in our daily lives without carrying corporate-manufactured guilt. The carbon footprint was designed to make us look downward at our own choices. The Carbon Wave encourages us to look outward at what we can build together.\nMoving forward requires dropping the misplaced burden of global industrial policy from individual shoulders. By shifting our perspective toward collective momentum, we can push for meaningful, structural change that creates lasting impact far beyond what any single footprint could achieve.\n","date":"September 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-27-carbon-wave/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Shoe-ing the 'Carbon Footprint' and Riding the Carbon Wave","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sustainability/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sustainability","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/end-of-life-planning/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"End-of-Life Planning","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/health-care/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Health Care","type":"tags"},{"content":"Illinois Governor Pritzker recently signed a bill that gives terminally ill patients the option of medical aid-in-dying. It’s a big deal because Illinois is now the first state in the Midwest to allow this and the 12th state in the country to do so.\nThe law isn\u0026rsquo;t about making things easy; it\u0026rsquo;s about giving people a choice when they\u0026rsquo;re facing the hardest part of life. For a lot of folks, it\u0026rsquo;s about having some dignity and peace of mind at the end. It means having the autonomy to decide how things happen on your own terms, rather than just letting things take over.\nTo be clear, there are strict rules in place. A patient has to be an adult with a terminal illness, meaning they have a life expectancy of less than six months as determined by two different doctors. They also have to be of sound mind and make the request themselves.\nThis bill is also known as \u0026ldquo;Deb\u0026rsquo;s Law.\u0026rdquo; It honors Deb Robertson, a lifelong Illinois resident who lives with a rare terminal illness. She has spent a lot of time advocating for this because she knows firsthand what it is like for families and individuals to struggle with a terminal diagnosis while trying to find a way to end their lives with some sense of peace.\nYou can read more about the bill and the governor\u0026rsquo;s press release here: Governor Pritzker signs bill expanding end-of-life options for terminally ill patients.\nWhat Other States Have Learned # Illinois isn\u0026rsquo;t breaking new ground on its own. Oregon\u0026rsquo;s Death with Dignity Act took effect in 1997, so there\u0026rsquo;s almost three decades of data to look at. The Oregon Health Authority publishes a report on it every year. A few things stand out. The number of people who use the law each year is small compared to the total number of deaths in the state. And a meaningful share of people who get the prescription never take it. For many patients, simply having the option provides comfort and a sense of control, even if they never use it. The most common end-of-life concerns patients report aren\u0026rsquo;t about pain alone. They\u0026rsquo;re about losing autonomy and losing the ability to do the things that made life enjoyable.\nHave the Conversation Now # Whatever you think about this law, the bigger lesson is that end-of-life decisions are easier to make before a crisis. A few practical steps everyone should take, at any age:\nName a health care power of attorney, someone who can make medical decisions for you if you can\u0026rsquo;t. Write down your wishes in an advance directive or living will. Talk to your family so they\u0026rsquo;re not guessing during the worst week of their lives. Ask your doctor about a POLST form if you have a serious illness. It turns your wishes into medical orders. Anyone that simplifies the law and the situation to call it suicide is seeing a black-and-white world without compassion and without the reality that some have to go through. If you don\u0026rsquo;t want to use it, don\u0026rsquo;t. Your line-in-the-sand and your religious beliefs are yours and shouldn\u0026rsquo;t affect me.\nI hope I never find myself in that situation, but it\u0026rsquo;s a little peace of mind to know that I could have that option if need be. It seems common sense to let people have a say in their own lives, especially when things are at their worst.\n","date":"September 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-24-medical-aid-dying/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Illinois' Medical Aid-In-Dying Law is the first in the Midwest","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/medical-aid-in-dying/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Medical Aid in Dying","type":"tags"},{"content":"I first heard the expression \u0026ldquo;But does it play in Peoria?\u0026rdquo; in my college Movie History class about Broadway plays. That said, Peoria was America\u0026rsquo;s test market back in the old-time radio days. The Midwest region as a whole serves as America\u0026rsquo;s testing ground; Columbus and Peoria are two examples within broader regional patterns.\nPeoria was picked because the city was considered pretty much middle America — folks with average incomes who bought whatever stuff they saw on TV and radio. So if a cereal box, soap commercial, or even a catchy jingle got people buying in Peoria, companies figured it would do fine elsewhere too. That\u0026rsquo;s why you see lots of big brands mentioning Peoria as their testing ground: if it works there, the rest follows.\nA picture of wall art in the Peoria Civic Center that I took recently after taking in a show.\nThe idea was simple enough — put your product in front of folks who don\u0026rsquo;t have any particular brand loyalty and watch what happens. Companies had no way to measure exactly how many people saw an ad or bought a product back then, so they\u0026rsquo;d just go by sales figures and word-of-mouth. If the numbers were good, they\u0026rsquo;d roll it out nationally; if not, scrap it and try something else. It was a pretty crude method compared with all the data we have today, but it did the job for most companies before digital tracking took over.\nToday things are different — Columbus, Ohio has taken on that role, especially for food products source. You can see it everywhere: Chipotle opened its first burger spot in Lancaster as a test; Burger King tried those tiny sliders here before they ever went nationwide; Wendy\u0026rsquo;s and White Castle have both run experiments close to their headquarters; Taco Bell once tested Tajín shells exclusively around Columbus; and even Donatos debuted a pizza-making robot at the airport.\nWhat makes a city like Columbus or Peoria so useful for test markets is mostly demographic — they sit right where you want them, with urban neighborhoods next to suburban sprawl and some rural areas nearby, all within easy driving distance. That means if something works here it\u0026rsquo;s reasonable to expect it\u0026rsquo;ll work elsewhere too because the mix of people is pretty close to the national average demographics. You also get affordable living costs backed by strong local industries that keep folks working, plus a diverse population — young professionals, students, families, lawmakers, and immigrants from around the world — so you\u0026rsquo;re getting a snapshot of America in one region.\nAccording to the article, Columbus has an identity crisis going on right now, which could become a disadvantage if companies want to test products that appeal specifically to certain groups. You can\u0026rsquo;t ignore demographic reality just because the rest of the city looks good; you need honest numbers about who\u0026rsquo;s buying what before making big expansion decisions. We might see the preferred test market shift again.\nData has changed everything since the Peoria days — now companies track exactly how many people see an ad or buy a product, they can test online in addition to physical stores, and algorithms or models help them decide what will work best well before any real-world launch. Yet the core concept hasn\u0026rsquo;t really shifted: if something sells well in one region with typical demographics, it\u0026rsquo;s still a good bet for broader adoption. The difference is just that we\u0026rsquo;ve added precision around how we measure success, not fundamentally rethought why Peoria and places like Columbus work so well as testing grounds.\nLooking at what we\u0026rsquo;ve seen — Peoria as a historic test market, Columbus taking over in recent years for food industry experiments, the way data has refined but not replaced those methods — the Midwest really does represent America pretty well. It also makes it kind of fun to be first and get more variety with \u0026rsquo;limited time\u0026rsquo; runs. The rest of the country looks to us because we\u0026rsquo;re honest about what works and doesn\u0026rsquo;t work, we don\u0026rsquo;t pretend anything\u0026rsquo;s perfect just to be trendy, and we stick with practical solutions that real people can understand. That\u0026rsquo;s not some grand pronouncement — it\u0026rsquo;s just how life plays out here day in and day out, one test at a time.\n","date":"September 16, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-16-play-in-peoria/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"But Does It Play in Peoria?","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 16, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/columbus/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Columbus","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 16, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/marketing/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Marketing","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 16, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/peoria/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Peoria","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/community/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Community","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/empathy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Empathy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/life-lessons/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Life Lessons","type":"tags"},{"content":"I think we do a decent job of using words like sympathy, empathy, and compassion in our everyday lives, but I do not think we always mean the same thing when we say them. In a place like the Midwest, we value being clear and honest. If we want to actually be good neighbors and help each other out, it is worth taking a second to get these terms straight.\nSympathy is the first level of connection. It is essentially feeling sorry for someone. It is a polite distance. You can see a neighbor\u0026rsquo;s barn get hit by a tornado and you can say, \u0026ldquo;Man, that is a real shame.\u0026rdquo; You feel for them, and you mean it, but you are still standing on your own porch. You are looking at their situation from the outside. It is a common way to show we care, but it does not always require us to do anything other than acknowledge that a situation is difficult.\nEmpathy is a bit deeper than that. It is trying to actually feel with someone rather than just feeling for them. It is like trying to put on their shoes for a minute to see why the walk they are taking is so hard. If you know someone is struggling with a health issue, empathy is remembering what it feels like to be scared or tired. It is not just saying \u0026ldquo;I can imagine how that feels\u0026rdquo; because you are trying to be nice. It is actually trying to understand the weight of that burden by connecting it to your own life experiences.\nCompassion is the next step on the ladder, and it is the one that actually moves the needle. Compassion is empathy with a plan. It is when that feeling of understanding turns into a pair of hands doing something useful. If you see a neighbor struggling to move heavy furniture, sympathy is saying that looks hard. Empathy is imagining how much their back might hurt. Compassion is grabbing a pair of gloves and offering to help them lift the heavy end. It is the practical side of being a decent human being. It is taking the weight off someone else\u0026rsquo;s shoulders because you can see they are struggling.\nI know it\u0026rsquo;s progress but I am tired of hearing stories about people who were mean or oppressive to a certain group of people until it finally hit home for them. They will tell you they were a bigoted person until they had a grandchild from that group or until their child married someone from a different background. They claim they finally \u0026ldquo;opened their eyes\u0026rdquo; because their own life changed and they finally had a personal stake in the matter. They wouldn\u0026rsquo;t want someone to be prejudiced, racist, or bigoted against their grandchild or son-in-law but they acted that way to other people\u0026rsquo;s grandchildren and sons-in-law.\nTo be honest, that is a pretty lazy way to live. If you have to wait until it affects your own wallet or your own family to decide to be a decent person, then you were not being a decent person to begin with. It is just self interest disguised as a journey of growth. We should not have to wait for our own lives to be impacted before we decide that other people deserve respect and kindness. It is just a way to avoid the work of being a good person when it is not convenient.\nWe need to do better than that. We need to open our eyes sooner. If we see something that is wrong, or if we see people being treated unfairly, we should speak up then. We should not wait for a personal stake in the game to decide that the truth matters. Being a good person is about how you treat people when there is nothing in it for you. It is not the convenience of the outcome. If your kindness only appears when it helps you, it is not really kindness at all.\nThis goes hand in hand with how people handle their own beliefs. I see it all the time in our communities. Someone will be very firm about the rules of their religion when it comes to their neighbor, but they will find plenty of grace for themselves or their children when they want to bend those same rules. It is a double standard that makes no sense. You cannot have it both ways.\nYou cannot pick and choose when to be strict and when to be lenient. If you want grace for your own mistakes, you have to be willing to extend that same grace to the people around you. You cannot judge others by a yardstick that you refuse to carry yourself. It is about being consistent. It is about having a backbone and sticking to the truth, no matter who it applies to. If the rules are firm for them, they should be firm for you too, and if the grace is available for you, it should be available for them.\nIf you believe in a set of values, those values should apply to everyone equally, not just the people you choose to be gracious to. And, if you choose to live by a certain code, it does not mean you can hold other people accountable to that code. There are different beliefs, concerns, and priorities.\nAt the end of the day, this is about being a practical neighbor. It is about looking at the world around you and deciding how you are going to act. Are you just going to feel sorry for the person across the street, or are you going to actually help them out? Are you going to wait until your own house is on fire to care about the safety of the neighborhood, or are you going to help keep the fire hydrants clear today? Practicality means doing the right thing now, not waiting for a reason to do it later.\nWe have a responsibility to each other. We are all living on this land together, trying to build something that lasts for our kids and grandkids. That requires more than just saying the right words when it is convenient. It requires a steady kind of goodness that does not shift just because the circumstances changed. It requires being the kind of person who sees a need and acts on it, simply because it is the right thing to do.\nLet us try to be a little more proactive. Let us try to be more compassionate before we are forced to be. It makes for a better community and a lot less drama for everyone. It is the simplest way to live, but it is also the hardest. It requires you to look past your own needs and see the person standing right in front of you. But if we can get there, we might just find that our neighbors are a lot more like us than we originally thought.\nIt is about finding the common ground and making sure our actions match our words. We should not be waiting for a sign or a personal reason to be a good person. The sign is already there. The reason is already there. It is just about deciding to do the work. When we lead with compassion, we make life a little easier for everyone, and that is the best way to build a future we can all be proud of.\n","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-15-empathy/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Sympathy vs Empathy vs Compassion","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/apples/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Apples","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cherries/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cherries","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/michigan/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Michigan","type":"tags"},{"content":"Michigan is a powerhouse of American pomology, consistently ranking as a leading producer of both apples and cherries. The state\u0026rsquo;s diverse climate, particularly the \u0026ldquo;lake effect\u0026rdquo; provided by the Great Lakes, creates a unique growing environment that supports a vast array of fruit varieties. Michigan\u0026rsquo;s apple production is a cornerstone of its agricultural economy, with the West Michigan region alone accounting for a significant portion of the state\u0026rsquo;s total output. The state is home to popular cultivars such as Gala, Honeycrisp, and Fuji, which are staples in grocery stores and orchards across the Midwest.\nThe cherry industry in Michigan is equally prestigious, with the state holding the title of the nation\u0026rsquo;s leading producer of tart cherries. (Washington grows more sweet cherries.) The Traverse Bay region is particularly renowned as a hotspot for cherry production, earning nearby cities the nickname \u0026ldquo;Cherry Capital of the World.\u0026rdquo; Michigan is especially famous for its tart Montmorency cherries, which are highly sought after for their culinary versatility in pies, preserves, and fruit wines. The high demand for these fruits has made Michigan a central hub for both commercial agricultural trade and regional tourism.\nFor those interested in experiencing the harvest firsthand, the timing of the visit depends on the specific fruit:\nApples: The peak harvest typically occurs between August and November. This makes the fall season the ideal time to visit Michigan\u0026rsquo;s numerous orchards, cideries, and \u0026ldquo;U-Pick\u0026rdquo; farms. Cherries: The cherry season is shorter and takes place during the summer, with the peak harvest generally running from June through August. This is the prime time to visit the northern parts of the state, particularly the Traverse City area, which hosts the annual National Cherry Festival. A Lap Around Lake Michigan # When I was a kid, my family took a road trip all the way around Lake Michigan. Driving around it is the best way to understand how big it really is. It takes days, and it changes the whole way around: city skylines, steel mills, sand dunes, small beach towns, forests, and long stretches where the lake looks more like an ocean than anything you\u0026rsquo;d expect in the middle of the country.\nOne of the highlights was stopping in Michigan to get cherries. It\u0026rsquo;s one of those small, simple memories that stuck with me, and it\u0026rsquo;s a big part of why I think of Michigan as fruit country.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re planning your own lap around the lake, time it for cherry season in July, and leave room in the car for a few quarts. Farm stands and U-pick orchards along the Michigan shoreline make it easy to stop.\nTo plan a visit or learn more about Michigan\u0026rsquo;s agricultural heritage and seasonal tourism, you can explore the following official resources:\nMichigan.gov - Agriculture Pure Michigan (Official Tourism Website) ","date":"September 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-15-michigan-apples-cherries/","section":"Posts","summary":"Michigan is a powerhouse of American pomology, consistently ranking as a leading producer of both apples and cherries. The state’s diverse climate, particularly the “lake effect” provided by the Great Lakes, creates a unique growing environment that supports a vast array of fruit varieties. Michigan’s apple production is a cornerstone of its agricultural economy, with the West Michigan region alone accounting for a significant portion of the state’s total output. The state is home to popular cultivars such as Gala, Honeycrisp, and Fuji, which are staples in grocery stores and orchards across the Midwest.\nThe cherry industry in Michigan is equally prestigious, with the state holding the title of the nation’s leading producer of tart cherries. (Washington grows more sweet cherries.) The Traverse Bay region is particularly renowned as a hotspot for cherry production, earning nearby cities the nickname “Cherry Capital of the World.” Michigan is especially famous for its tart Montmorency cherries, which are highly sought after for their culinary versatility in pies, preserves, and fruit wines. The high demand for these fruits has made Michigan a central hub for both commercial agricultural trade and regional tourism.\nFor those interested in experiencing the harvest firsthand, the timing of the visit depends on the specific fruit:\nApples: The peak harvest typically occurs between August and November. This makes the fall season the ideal time to visit Michigan’s numerous orchards, cideries, and “U-Pick” farms. Cherries: The cherry season is shorter and takes place during the summer, with the peak harvest generally running from June through August. This is the prime time to visit the northern parts of the state, particularly the Traverse City area, which hosts the annual National Cherry Festival. A Lap Around Lake Michigan # When I was a kid, my family took a road trip all the way around Lake Michigan. Driving around it is the best way to understand how big it really is. It takes days, and it changes the whole way around: city skylines, steel mills, sand dunes, small beach towns, forests, and long stretches where the lake looks more like an ocean than anything you’d expect in the middle of the country.\nOne of the highlights was stopping in Michigan to get cherries. It’s one of those small, simple memories that stuck with me, and it’s a big part of why I think of Michigan as fruit country.\nIf you’re planning your own lap around the lake, time it for cherry season in July, and leave room in the car for a few quarts. Farm stands and U-pick orchards along the Michigan shoreline make it easy to stop.\n","title":"Michigan Apples and Cherries","type":"posts"},{"content":"I don\u0026rsquo;t really drive that much but I sure have been a lot of posts about driving. This makes another one\u0026hellip;\nI think it is just one of those things that happens every year when the air starts to get that specific kind of crisp. The humidity finally decided to pack its bags and leave for the winter, and the leaves start to think about turning. For those of us who live here in the Midwest, that change in the air usually means one thing is coming: harvest time.\nIt is a beautiful time of year. The light hits the fields in the late afternoon so it look like a painting. But for anyone who spends time on our country roads, this season brings some real challenges. It can be a busy time with back-to-school giving way to harvest time, and it is a time for a reminder on the rules of the road.\nThe first thing people notice is the corn. It is amazing how fast it grows, and by this time of year, it is standing tall. For those who live in town, it might just look like a pretty green wall, but for those driving the back roads, it is a major visibility issue. When the corn gets that high, it creates a tunnel effect. You can be cruising along at a reasonable speed, and because the stalks are so thick and tall, you might not see a car coming from a perpendicular road until it is almost right next to you.\nIt is not just the side roads, either. Sometimes the corn grows so heavy and tall that it can actually obscure the upcoming intersections or even make it hard to see where a turn is supposed to happen. It can be a bit startling to see a tractor or another car suddenly appear out of the stalks like it was just sitting there. Because we are a community that values being polite and keeping things moving smoothly, it is easy to get frustrated when someone pulls out suddenly, but we have to remember that they might genuinely not have seen us because of the foliage. It is a good idea to keep your eyes moving and assume that there is always something hidden behind that wall of green.\nThen there is the machinery. If you have lived here long enough, you know that the harvest can set the tone for an area. It is work that keeps our local economies going and our families fed. But that work involves some of the biggest pieces of equipment you can find on any road. From now until the end of the harvest, our rural roads are going to be shared with combines, tractors, and those massive grain trucks, all of which move painfully slow on a one-lane road.\nThese machines are built for power and scale, not for quick maneuvers. A combine harvester is a massive piece of engineering, and it takes up a significant amount of space. When you see one coming, it is always best to give it plenty of room. They are heavy, and they do not stop on a dime. If you are behind one, try to be patient.\nThe trucks hauling the grain are also something to watch out for. These trucks are often loaded to their maximum capacity, which means they have a lot of momentum. They need extra time to slow down and even more space to make a turn. I have seen some folks get a little impatient and try to pass these trucks on narrow shoulders or around blind curves, and that is just asking for a situation that nobody wants to deal with. In our part of the country, we try to avoid conflict, and a road accident is the last thing anyone wants to deal with during any time of year.\nOne of the things I appreciate about our community is that we generally look out for one another. We are a people who like to keep the peace. When you see a farmer out there working, it is helpful to remember that they are likely working some of their longest hours of the year. They are tired, they are focused, and they are trying to get their crop harvested before the weather turns. If you see a tractor blocking the road or moving slowly, it is usually not because they are trying to be difficult. They are just doing what needs to be done to provide for their livelihood. A little extra patience goes a long way.\nI think a good rule of thumb for the next few weeks is to just slow down a bit more than you normally would. If you are heading down a county road where you know there are active fields, take that extra second to look for hidden driveways or farm paths. Be prepared for the possibility that a vehicle might appear from behind a row of corn at any moment. It is much better to be five minutes late to your destination than to have a close call, or worse, on a back road.\nWe should also be mindful of the dust and the noise. During harvest, the roads can get pretty dusty, which can affect your visibility even more. If you are driving behind a piece of equipment, try to keep a safe distance so you are not caught in a cloud of dust. And while it can be loud, it is just the temporary sound of the season. It is the sound of our neighbors working hard.\nI also want to mention the importance of being predictable. If you have to pull over to let a large piece of machinery pass, try to do so in a way that is clear and safe. Signal your intentions, and if you can, give a friendly wave. That little bit of communication helps keep the mood light and ensures that everyone stays on the same page. We are all in this together. We all want to get home to our families safe and sound at the end of the day.\nSo, as the days get shorter and the fields turn to gold, let us just take a little extra care. Keep your eyes peeled for those hidden roads, give the big trucks some space, and remember to be kind to one another. It is a beautiful time of year in our neck of the woods, and I would much rather see everyone enjoying the harvest than worrying about a preventable accident. By being aware of the hazards, by being patient with our neighbors, and by staying alert to the changing landscape of our roads, we can make sure that this harvest season is a successful and safe one for everyone.\n","date":"September 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-14-field-intersections/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"(Corn) Field Safety and Driving","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/driving/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Driving","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/farming/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Farming","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/harvest/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Harvest","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/rural-life/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Rural Life","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/history/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"History","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/remembrance/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Remembrance","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/september-11/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"September 11","type":"tags"},{"content":"9/11 occurred 25 years ago today.\nSeptember 11th, 2001 took the lives of thousands of Americans who were going about their daily routine at work or on a flight.\n25 years ago today, I was a junior in a public high school in a small town in the midwest. Fittingly, I was in U.S. History class when it happened. We were taking a test that day. Another teacher walked into the classroom doorway and whispered to the history teacher what had happened. The teacher responded with \u0026ldquo;One historical moment at a time. We have a test.\u0026rdquo; and closed the door.\nWe all finished our tests and turned them in. Once they were all collected, the teacher turned on the TV and we all watched the news unfold, including the collapsing of the towers. That\u0026rsquo;s what we did for most of the day in the rest of the classes. There was a rumor about being sent home early but it never came about because it was a logistical difficulty to contact parents. I hugged a friend who was worried about her dad on a business flight that day. I had a computer class and the Internet was crawling so much it was unusable (and we were used to slow Internet access back then).\nEventually, we left school at the normal time. I rode the bus home. I walked the long driveway to the house, thinking about the day\u0026rsquo;s events. As I was walking, I looked to the sky knowing that all planes had been grounded. Being an hour away from Chicago, the sky usually had a plane criss-crossing the sky but at that moment there was nothing. As I was nearly to the house, still looking up, I spotted a plane very high up heading to Chicago. It was just a speck but it was definitely there. I assumed it was a military plane scanning for threats with RADAR as fighter jets had been scrambled to defend Chicago if necessary.\nMy Dad was at home. He was sleeping on the couch. He worked nights. I don\u0026rsquo;t really remember talking to him about the day or the news. I think we went outside and did yardwork when he woke up shortly after I got home.\nAs a Marvel and Spider-Man fan, I was very excited for the first Spider-Man movie starring Tobey Maguire that was supposed to come out in November 2001. A trailer aired with Spider-Man chasing bank robbers in a helicopter before webbing them up between the World Trade Center Twin Towers. The trailer was taken down and the movie was delayed until May 2002.\nSpotting the WTC in older movies brings you back to reality.\nA couple of years ago, I was driving from the midwest to Washington D.C. I was taking a side road because the Pennsylvania Turnpike is very expensive. I was driving late at night and warily watching for deer or other critters to run in the road. I had already seen two. All of a sudden, around the next curve, there was a large sign for the Flight 93 memorial lit up by my brights. It was a sobering thought at 3 A.M. to reflect on what I knew of Flight 93.\nThis Summer, I made my first trip to New York City. My family visited the National September 11 Memorial \u0026amp; Museum and learned more details about the day and the events in New York, Flight 93, and at the Pentagon than I had before. It was a sad reflection. The size of the loss and destruction was incredible and so unnecessary.\nAny person in leadership that does not try to improve diplomatic relations and prevent unnecessary death and destruction is a fool. Any fool that tries to exploit this day of rememberance for political points is a terrible human being.\nBe kind, around the world.\n","date":"September 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-11-sept112001/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"September 11th, 2001 - 25 years ago","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/football/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Football","type":"tags"},{"content":"Today is the kickoff to a new NFL season. From the frozen tundra of Green Bay to the industrial heart of Detroit, the NFL has a big presence in the Midwest. The region is home to some of the most storied franchises in the league, each with its own unique flavor and history that keeps the local fans coming back year after year.\nThe Midwest is a powerhouse in both conferences. In the NFC, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers stand as pillars of tradition, while the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings bring a fierce, hardworking spirit to the North. Across the way in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs represent the region\u0026rsquo;s strength, each with a dedicated following that spans the heartland.\nTeam Name Super Bowl Wins AFC/NFC Championships Won Chicago Bears 1 2 Green Bay Packers 4 3 Detroit Lions 0 0 Minnesota Vikings 0 3 Cincinnati Bengals 0 3 Cleveland Browns 0 0 Indianapolis Colts 2 3 Kansas City Chiefs 4 5 While the championship rings might be distributed unevenly, the passion in the stands is pretty much equal across the board. Whether it\u0026rsquo;s the tradition of the Packers\u0026rsquo; \u0026ldquo;Titletown\u0026rdquo; or the grit of the Browns in Cleveland, these teams are the backbone of Midwest sports culture, representing the history of the towns they represent and the way they bring people together on Sunday afternoons.\nDa Bears # The Chicago Bears are the team I root for, and the history is a big part of why. The franchise actually started downstate in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, sponsored by a starch company in Decatur, Illinois. George Halas moved the team to Chicago in 1921 and renamed it the Bears in 1922. They were one of the founding members of what became the NFL, and Halas stayed connected to the team for more than six decades as a player, coach, and owner.\nThe Bears and Packers have the oldest rivalry in the NFL, dating back to 1921, and they\u0026rsquo;ve played each other more than any other two teams in league history. That rivalry is a big part of fall in Illinois and Wisconsin, and it\u0026rsquo;s the kind of game where the whole office has an opinion on Monday morning.\nThen there\u0026rsquo;s 1985. The Bears went 15-1, won Super Bowl XX, and recorded \u0026ldquo;The Super Bowl Shuffle\u0026rdquo; before they even made the playoffs. Being a Bears fan since then has involved a lot of patience, a lot of quarterbacks, and plenty of cold Sundays. But that\u0026rsquo;s Midwest football. You stick with your team.\nOfficial Resources:\nNFL Official Teams Page Chicago Bears Official Site Green Bay Packers Official Site Detroit Lions Official Site Minnesota Vikings Official Site Cincinnati Bengals Official Site Cleveland Browns Official Site Indianapolis Colts Official Site Kansas City Chiefs Official Site ","date":"September 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-09-midwest-nfl-teams/","section":"Posts","summary":"Today is the kickoff to a new NFL season. From the frozen tundra of Green Bay to the industrial heart of Detroit, the NFL has a big presence in the Midwest. The region is home to some of the most storied franchises in the league, each with its own unique flavor and history that keeps the local fans coming back year after year.\nThe Midwest is a powerhouse in both conferences. In the NFC, the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers stand as pillars of tradition, while the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings bring a fierce, hardworking spirit to the North. Across the way in the AFC, the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Kansas City Chiefs represent the region’s strength, each with a dedicated following that spans the heartland.\nTeam Name Super Bowl Wins AFC/NFC Championships Won Chicago Bears 1 2 Green Bay Packers 4 3 Detroit Lions 0 0 Minnesota Vikings 0 3 Cincinnati Bengals 0 3 Cleveland Browns 0 0 Indianapolis Colts 2 3 Kansas City Chiefs 4 5 While the championship rings might be distributed unevenly, the passion in the stands is pretty much equal across the board. Whether it’s the tradition of the Packers’ “Titletown” or the grit of the Browns in Cleveland, these teams are the backbone of Midwest sports culture, representing the history of the towns they represent and the way they bring people together on Sunday afternoons.\nDa Bears # The Chicago Bears are the team I root for, and the history is a big part of why. The franchise actually started downstate in 1920 as the Decatur Staleys, sponsored by a starch company in Decatur, Illinois. George Halas moved the team to Chicago in 1921 and renamed it the Bears in 1922. They were one of the founding members of what became the NFL, and Halas stayed connected to the team for more than six decades as a player, coach, and owner.\nThe Bears and Packers have the oldest rivalry in the NFL, dating back to 1921, and they’ve played each other more than any other two teams in league history. That rivalry is a big part of fall in Illinois and Wisconsin, and it’s the kind of game where the whole office has an opinion on Monday morning.\nThen there’s 1985. The Bears went 15-1, won Super Bowl XX, and recorded “The Super Bowl Shuffle” before they even made the playoffs. Being a Bears fan since then has involved a lot of patience, a lot of quarterbacks, and plenty of cold Sundays. But that’s Midwest football. You stick with your team.\n","title":"Gridiron Giants: The Midwest's NFL Footprint","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/nfl/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"NFL","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/sports/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Sports","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/labor-day/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Labor Day","type":"tags"},{"content":"Labor Day didn\u0026rsquo;t get picked out of a hat. It became a federal holiday because the Midwest\u0026rsquo;s factory workers and rail employees literally demanded recognition. This came at great cost sometimes. The holiday we celebrate every September has roots in the industrial struggles of the late 1800s, particularly the Pullman Strike of 1894 near Chicago, which turned into a nationwide railroad shutdown. When President Grover Cleveland sent in federal troops and workers died, the government eventually decided that maybe it should officially recognize labor with a day off. The holiday was partly a peace offering.\nThe Midwest was the backbone of American industry in that era. Cities like Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Cleveland were roaring with steel mills, railroads, automobile plants, and manufacturing of every kind. Workers in these regions organized, struck, negotiated, and fought for better conditions. They were the ones who made Labor Day necessary in the first place. Upton Sinclair\u0026rsquo;s 1906 novel \u0026ldquo;The Jungle\u0026rdquo; exposed the horrific conditions in Chicago\u0026rsquo;s meatpacking plants—filthy, dangerous, and with pay that barely covered rent. That book opened people\u0026rsquo;s eyes to what Midwest workers were actually dealing with every day. The eight-hour workday, weekends, workplace safety standards, a lot of what we take for granted today was won through the efforts and sacrifices of Midwest workers. It wasn\u0026rsquo;t handed out freely.\nEven today, the Midwest remains a labor stronghold. Union membership is still higher here than in much of the country, and that heritage shapes the region\u0026rsquo;s values around fair wages and honest work. Labor Day isn\u0026rsquo;t just a long weekend or the unofficial end of summer. It\u0026rsquo;s a reminder that workers organizing and demanding better actually works. That lesson came from the Midwest, forged in the furnaces and factories and rail yards that built this country.\nLabor Day at the Lake # For my family, Labor Day meant one thing: the big picnic. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all get together at the lake, and we\u0026rsquo;d swim in the lake all day long. Those picnics are some of my favorite childhood memories.\nLooking back, I didn\u0026rsquo;t think of it as a holiday about workers. It was just the last big day of summer before school got serious. But that\u0026rsquo;s kind of the point. The reason my grandparents, who worked hard their whole lives, had a paid day off to spend with their kids and grandkids is that people before them fought for it. The weekend, the eight-hour day, and a holiday to rest were all hard-won.\nSo when you\u0026rsquo;re at a Labor Day cookout or taking the day off, remember that someone from the Midwest fought to make sure you got it.\nLearn More:\nPullman Strike History History of Labor Day (U.S. Department of Labor) Midwest Labor History Archives ","date":"September 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-07-midwest-labor-day/","section":"Posts","summary":"Labor Day didn’t get picked out of a hat. It became a federal holiday because the Midwest’s factory workers and rail employees literally demanded recognition. This came at great cost sometimes. The holiday we celebrate every September has roots in the industrial struggles of the late 1800s, particularly the Pullman Strike of 1894 near Chicago, which turned into a nationwide railroad shutdown. When President Grover Cleveland sent in federal troops and workers died, the government eventually decided that maybe it should officially recognize labor with a day off. The holiday was partly a peace offering.\nThe Midwest was the backbone of American industry in that era. Cities like Chicago, Detroit, Milwaukee, and Cleveland were roaring with steel mills, railroads, automobile plants, and manufacturing of every kind. Workers in these regions organized, struck, negotiated, and fought for better conditions. They were the ones who made Labor Day necessary in the first place. Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel “The Jungle” exposed the horrific conditions in Chicago’s meatpacking plants—filthy, dangerous, and with pay that barely covered rent. That book opened people’s eyes to what Midwest workers were actually dealing with every day. The eight-hour workday, weekends, workplace safety standards, a lot of what we take for granted today was won through the efforts and sacrifices of Midwest workers. It wasn’t handed out freely.\nEven today, the Midwest remains a labor stronghold. Union membership is still higher here than in much of the country, and that heritage shapes the region’s values around fair wages and honest work. Labor Day isn’t just a long weekend or the unofficial end of summer. It’s a reminder that workers organizing and demanding better actually works. That lesson came from the Midwest, forged in the furnaces and factories and rail yards that built this country.\nLabor Day at the Lake # For my family, Labor Day meant one thing: the big picnic. My grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins would all get together at the lake, and we’d swim in the lake all day long. Those picnics are some of my favorite childhood memories.\nLooking back, I didn’t think of it as a holiday about workers. It was just the last big day of summer before school got serious. But that’s kind of the point. The reason my grandparents, who worked hard their whole lives, had a paid day off to spend with their kids and grandkids is that people before them fought for it. The weekend, the eight-hour day, and a holiday to rest were all hard-won.\nSo when you’re at a Labor Day cookout or taking the day off, remember that someone from the Midwest fought to make sure you got it.\n","title":"Labor Day: A Midwest Story","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"September 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/workers-rights/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Workers Rights","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/apple-cider/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Apple Cider","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"September 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/midwest-culture/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Midwest Culture","type":"tags"},{"content":"The transition into fall in the Midwest is not something that happens overnight. It is a gradual shift in the atmosphere that you can feel in your bones before you see it in the trees. It starts with the way the light hits the fields in the late afternoon, turning everything a bit more golden and heavy. The air gets that first crisp bite to it, the kind that makes you want to reach for a heavier jacket and pull the porch chairs a little closer together. This is the time of year when we start looking for the flavors that match the change in the landscape. For some people, that flavor is pumpkin spice. And look, I am not trying to be a grump about it. Pumpkin spice has its place. It is a recognizable part of our modern culture, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a latte or a muffin that has that familiar warmth to it. But we have reached a point where it has become a bit of a corporate takeover, a flavor that has become so ubiquitous it feels less like a seasonal treat and more like a mandatory subscription to a specific mood.\nWhen everything you touch for three months is flavored with the same blend of cinnamon and nutmeg, it starts to feel one note. It is the same problem we see with subscription culture or with products that have too many middlemen involved in their creation. You are not really tasting the season anymore; you are just tasting the marketing for the season. It is a shortcut to a feeling. People want to feel like they are participating in the magic of fall, so they buy the flavor that the big brands told them to want. It is a convenience that strips away the actual experience of the time of year. When you go to the grocery store and every single item in the bakery aisle is covered in that same orange dusting, you have lost the variety that makes a harvest so special. We are trading in a diverse palette of autumn flavors for a single, mass produced identity. It is a bit of an absurdity when you think about it.\nThere is a brief window in September where the apple gets to rule supreme, and I think we should be paying more attention to that. Before the pumpkin spice industrial complex takes over the entire landscape, there is a time when the orchard is the center of the world. An apple is a product of the dirt. It is a tangible thing that grows from the ground, fed by the rain and the soil of the region. When you eat an apple or drink a cider, you are connecting with the actual output of the land. There is a simplicity to it that is hard to beat. An apple does not need a complex list of spice notes to be interesting. It has its own personality, its own tartness, and its own sweetness. One gives you the satisfaction of the real thing, while the other just gives you the convenience of a brand name.\nI find myself looking at the numbers of our land and thinking about where these things actually come from. It is a fact that over twenty five percent of the pumpkins grown in this country come from Illinois. That is a massive undertaking of agriculture. It is impressive and it is a huge part of our local economy. But I have always been a fan of the Michigan apple. I like the taste of it better. They are the fruit of a landscape that has been perfected over generations of careful work. When you choose an apple over a pumpkin, you are choosing the fruit that has been a staple of our tables for a long time, rather than the one that has been turned into a viral sensation in the past decade.\nLet us talk about the actual experience of fall flavor. If we want to be practical about it, the best way to enjoy the season is through things that are honest. Apple cider donuts are a perfect example of that. They are not trying to be some complicated culinary masterpiece. They are a donut, they are fried, they are coated in sugar, and they are infused with the taste of real cider. They are a simple, honest treat that fits the mood of a fall afternoon perfectly. They do not need a fancy name or a complicated backstory. They just are. The same goes for the cider itself. A good mug of apple cider is a warm, drinkable piece of the harvest. It is something you can share with the family from the porch while you watch the leaves change. It is a way to participate in the season without getting lost in the noise of what everyone else is doing.\nWe see the sticker of pumpkin spice on every item from candles to soaps to cookies, and think it makes us fit in. We are becoming more dependent on these pre packaged experiences and less connected to the actual source of our food and our traditions. I want to know what grew in the fields and why it tastes the way it does. I want to enjoy the fact that we live in a place where apples are a primary crop and where the cider is as good as it comes. It is a matter of common sense. If you want to know what fall tastes like, don\u0026rsquo;t look at the most popular flavor on a social media feed. Look at the orchards. Look at the cider presses. Look at the things that are actually growing in our backyards.\nWe should be able to enjoy the pumpkin spice when it comes around, but we should also be able to appreciate the apple when it is in its prime. One is a trend, and the other is a tradition. One is a shortcut, and the other is a journey. I prefer the journey. I prefer the taste of something that has a history in the soil and a place in the real world. It is about taking ownership of our own experience of the seasons. We do not have to let the middlemen decide what our memories are supposed to taste like. We can choose the cider. We can choose the apple. We can choose the honest, simple flavors that have always been here. It is a bit more practical, it is a lot more satisfying, and it is the only way to truly enjoy the best parts of the Midwest in the fall. Let us keep it simple and real. Let us keep it in the orchard.\n","date":"September 1, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-09-01-midwest-fall-flavors/","section":"Posts","summary":"The transition into fall in the Midwest is not something that happens overnight. It is a gradual shift in the atmosphere that you can feel in your bones before you see it in the trees. It starts with the way the light hits the fields in the late afternoon, turning everything a bit more golden and heavy. The air gets that first crisp bite to it, the kind that makes you want to reach for a heavier jacket and pull the porch chairs a little closer together. This is the time of year when we start looking for the flavors that match the change in the landscape. For some people, that flavor is pumpkin spice. And look, I am not trying to be a grump about it. Pumpkin spice has its place. It is a recognizable part of our modern culture, and there is nothing wrong with enjoying a latte or a muffin that has that familiar warmth to it. But we have reached a point where it has become a bit of a corporate takeover, a flavor that has become so ubiquitous it feels less like a seasonal treat and more like a mandatory subscription to a specific mood.\nWhen everything you touch for three months is flavored with the same blend of cinnamon and nutmeg, it starts to feel one note. It is the same problem we see with subscription culture or with products that have too many middlemen involved in their creation. You are not really tasting the season anymore; you are just tasting the marketing for the season. It is a shortcut to a feeling. People want to feel like they are participating in the magic of fall, so they buy the flavor that the big brands told them to want. It is a convenience that strips away the actual experience of the time of year. When you go to the grocery store and every single item in the bakery aisle is covered in that same orange dusting, you have lost the variety that makes a harvest so special. We are trading in a diverse palette of autumn flavors for a single, mass produced identity. It is a bit of an absurdity when you think about it.\nThere is a brief window in September where the apple gets to rule supreme, and I think we should be paying more attention to that. Before the pumpkin spice industrial complex takes over the entire landscape, there is a time when the orchard is the center of the world. An apple is a product of the dirt. It is a tangible thing that grows from the ground, fed by the rain and the soil of the region. When you eat an apple or drink a cider, you are connecting with the actual output of the land. There is a simplicity to it that is hard to beat. An apple does not need a complex list of spice notes to be interesting. It has its own personality, its own tartness, and its own sweetness. One gives you the satisfaction of the real thing, while the other just gives you the convenience of a brand name.\n","title":"Midwest Fall Flavors","type":"posts"},{"content":"A compost tumbler is worth the investment if you\u0026rsquo;re tired of hauling bags of soil or buying expensive compost. I\u0026rsquo;ve had this Miracle-Gro one for years and use it nearly every day.\nThe two separate containers can be spun to break down scraps into rich soil faster than any pile on the ground. With the two compartments, I add scraps to one side and let the other one cook. When it\u0026rsquo;s done, I empty out the finished soil and then add vegetable and fruit scraps and yard waste while the other side breaks down. It barely takes up any space in the backyard, gives you great soil to use, and helps your inside trash can smell less.\nWhy Compost at All? # According to the EPA, food scraps and yard waste together make up more than 30% of what Americans throw away. In a landfill, that material breaks down without oxygen and produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. In a compost bin, the same scraps turn into dark, crumbly soil that feeds your garden. Less trash, less smell in the kitchen, and free fertilizer. It\u0026rsquo;s hard to find a better deal.\nWhy a Tumbler Instead of a Pile? # A traditional compost pile works, but it takes up space, needs to be turned with a pitchfork, and can attract animals. A tumbler solves most of that:\nTurning is easy. A few spins mixes everything and adds oxygen, which speeds things up. It\u0026rsquo;s enclosed. Raccoons, rodents, and the neighbor\u0026rsquo;s dog have a much harder time getting in. It\u0026rsquo;s off the ground. No digging, and it\u0026rsquo;s easy to dump the finished compost right into a wheelbarrow. Two chambers keep things moving. One side can finish while you keep filling the other. Beginner Tips # Composting is mostly about balance. You want a mix of \u0026ldquo;greens\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;browns\u0026rdquo;:\nGreens are wet and rich in nitrogen: fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and fresh grass clippings. Browns are dry and rich in carbon: dry leaves, shredded paper, cardboard, straw, and sawdust from untreated wood. A good rule of thumb is to add more browns than greens by volume. If your compost gets slimy and smelly, it\u0026rsquo;s too wet, so add more browns. If it\u0026rsquo;s dry and nothing is happening, add some greens or a little water. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge.\nKeep these out of a backyard bin: meat, fish, bones, dairy, oils and grease, pet waste, and diseased plants. They can smell, attract pests, or spread problems to your garden.\nSaving a few bags of shredded leaves in the fall gives you browns to mix in all year. Cutting scraps into smaller pieces also helps them break down faster.\nThe Payoff # When a batch is done, it looks and smells like rich, dark soil. You can mix it into garden beds, spread a thin layer on the lawn, or use it in containers. Every scoop is soil I didn\u0026rsquo;t have to buy, bag, and haul home from the store. After years of using this tumbler, it\u0026rsquo;s one of the most useful things in my backyard.\n#CommissionsEarned\n","date":"August 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-31-composter/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Compost Tumbler: Turning Scraps Into Free Soil","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/composting/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Composting","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/product-review/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Product Review","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/categories/recommendations/","section":"Categories","summary":"","title":"Recommendations","type":"categories"},{"content":"The Midwest is home to Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned private American academic medical center that serves as a global leader in integrated healthcare, education, and research. The institution originated in 1864 with the private medical practice of William Worrall Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. The practice was significantly expanded by his sons, Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie Mayo, who eventually transformed it into a group practice. A pivotal moment in the clinic\u0026rsquo;s history occurred in 1919, when the brothers and their wives donated the assets of the medical practice to convert it into a not-for-profit organization, a move that solidified its mission to provide high-quality care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.\nToday, Mayo Clinic is recognized as a premier destination for complex medical cases, maintaining a reputation for \u0026ldquo;destination medicine\u0026rdquo; and tertiary care. It operates major campuses in Rochester, Minnesota; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona. The institution employs over 7,300 physicians and scientists, supported by more than 66,000 allied health and administrative staff. Its academic arm, the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, is consistently ranked among the top-tier medical schools in the United States, providing a robust foundation for the next generation of medical professionals while fueling the clinic\u0026rsquo;s extensive research enterprise.\nThe clinic has contributed numerous revolutionary developments to the field of modern medicine. In the early 20th century, it pioneered the multi-specialty group practice model and the integrated medical record system, which fundamentally changed how physicians share patient information. Its history of innovation includes establishing the first hospital-based blood bank in 1935 and helping develop the anti-G suit and high-altitude oxygen masks for World War II pilots. Furthermore, Mayo Clinic researchers have been at the forefront of life-saving discoveries, including the development of cortisone (for which they received a Nobel Prize), the first FDA-approved hip replacement in the U.S., and advanced rapid DNA tests for anthrax. More recently, the clinic has integrated generative AI to optimize health content and has led pioneering studies in regenerative medicine and robotic-assisted surgery.\nMore Than Research # The history and the research are impressive, but what stands out to me is closer to home. A few of my coworkers have received life-changing treatment at Mayo Clinic. When a local doctor runs out of answers, Mayo is often the place people get sent next, and many come home with a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a surgery that wasn\u0026rsquo;t available anywhere nearby. That kind of care tends to ripple out. A coworker getting well means a family that doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to watch someone suffer and a team that gets a friend back.\nA few practical things to know if you or someone you love is considering Mayo:\nYou may not need a referral. Mayo Clinic accepts appointment requests directly from patients for many conditions, though your insurance plan may have its own rules, so check first. Rochester is built around the clinic. Hotels, restaurants, and skyways connect directly to the campus, which helps patients who are there for days or weeks of appointments. There\u0026rsquo;s care closer to home, too. The Mayo Clinic Health System runs hospitals and clinics in communities across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Bring someone with you. Long visits with lots of tests are easier with a second set of ears to take notes. It\u0026rsquo;s a point of pride that one of the best medical centers in the world started as a small-town family practice in southern Minnesota.\n","date":"August 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-29-mayo-clinic/","section":"Posts","summary":"The Midwest is home to Mayo Clinic, a world-renowned private American academic medical center that serves as a global leader in integrated healthcare, education, and research. The institution originated in 1864 with the private medical practice of William Worrall Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota. The practice was significantly expanded by his sons, Dr. Will and Dr. Charlie Mayo, who eventually transformed it into a group practice. A pivotal moment in the clinic’s history occurred in 1919, when the brothers and their wives donated the assets of the medical practice to convert it into a not-for-profit organization, a move that solidified its mission to provide high-quality care to all patients regardless of their ability to pay.\n","title":"Mayo Clinic","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/mayo-clinic/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Mayo Clinic","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/minnesota/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Minnesota","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/environment/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Environment","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/great-lakes/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Great Lakes","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/midwest/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Midwest","type":"tags"},{"content":"The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of our region. People often take them for granted because they are always there, but they are the historical foundation of our geography and our economy. From the drinking water in our taps to the shipping lanes that move our goods, these lakes are a practical necessity and source of entertainment that we often forget to acknowledge. They define the character of the Midwest, providing a sense of scale and a source of life that few other regions can claim.\nIf you are teaching someone about the region or just trying to keep the facts straight, there is a simple way to remember them. It is a mnemonic that most folks find useful because it is plain and easy to remember. Just think of the word HOMES. It covers the five great bodies of water that share our backyard. It is a small mental tool, but it works because it is grounded in the actual reality of our map.\nStarting with the letters, you have Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. These are not just names on a map. They are massive bodies of water with their own distinct personalities. Lake Superior is the king of the group, cold and deep. Lake Michigan is our neighbor to the west, and Lake Huron is a massive expanse of history. These three are the pillars of the Midwest water system, providing a sense of place for millions of people.\nThen you have Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. These two are smaller in scale but no less important. They sit at the southern end of the system, acting as the gateway to the Atlantic. They have shaped the industries and the communities of our southern states just as much as the bigger ones have shaped the north. They are the final pieces of the puzzle that complete the HOMES mnemonic.\nH - Huron O - Ontario M - Michigan E - Erie S - Superior\nFour of these five lakes border our Midwest states we. That makes them a core part of our local identity. Ontario is the one that sits outside of our specific region, belonging to our neighbors to the north. While it is outside our state lines, it still deserves our full respect as a vital part of the system. We do not need more political noise or international embarrassment from the highest office in the land. It is just common sense to recognize historical importance and present value regardless of where the border is drawn.\nWhether you are fishing in a small bay or just looking at the horizon from a highway, the lakes are a constant reminder of our shared home. Using a simple tool like HOMES to remember them is just the start. The real goal is to understand the value they bring to our lives and to make sure we are doing our part to keep them healthy for the next generation. The Great Lakes are an internationally connected and shared resource, and that means we have a responsibility to protect them and not make them into a political pawn. We should also have decency and decorum with our northern neighbors. I am tired of the worst example coming from the \u0026ldquo;chief diplomat.\u0026rdquo;\n","date":"August 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-28-great-lakes/","section":"Posts","summary":"The Great Lakes are the lifeblood of our region. People often take them for granted because they are always there, but they are the historical foundation of our geography and our economy. From the drinking water in our taps to the shipping lanes that move our goods, these lakes are a practical necessity and source of entertainment that we often forget to acknowledge. They define the character of the Midwest, providing a sense of scale and a source of life that few other regions can claim.\nIf you are teaching someone about the region or just trying to keep the facts straight, there is a simple way to remember them. It is a mnemonic that most folks find useful because it is plain and easy to remember. Just think of the word HOMES. It covers the five great bodies of water that share our backyard. It is a small mental tool, but it works because it is grounded in the actual reality of our map.\nStarting with the letters, you have Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. These are not just names on a map. They are massive bodies of water with their own distinct personalities. Lake Superior is the king of the group, cold and deep. Lake Michigan is our neighbor to the west, and Lake Huron is a massive expanse of history. These three are the pillars of the Midwest water system, providing a sense of place for millions of people.\nThen you have Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. These two are smaller in scale but no less important. They sit at the southern end of the system, acting as the gateway to the Atlantic. They have shaped the industries and the communities of our southern states just as much as the bigger ones have shaped the north. They are the final pieces of the puzzle that complete the HOMES mnemonic.\n","title":"The Great Lakes","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/water/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Water","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/gambling/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Gambling","type":"tags"},{"content":"One thing that really grinds my gears is how \u0026ldquo;trashy\u0026rdquo; communities look these days. More and more local restaurants are shrinking their dining rooms. They are pulling out tables and chairs to make room for video poker machines. Some strip mall and gas station locations are just rooms dedicated to video poker. It is a trend that has been building for years, and it feels like we are losing a piece of our community character to greed for the money from gambling addicts.\nFrom a business perspective, I can understand the pressure. If a place is struggling to keep the lights on, a cut of the revenue from those machines looks like a lifeline, especially following COVID-19, but it is a hollow way to stay afloat. When a restaurant stops being a place where people gather to eat and start being a place where people go to lose money, it loses its original purpose. You cannot fix a failing restaurant business with fewer seats and alienating customers that don\u0026rsquo;t want to be crowded in with the lights and dings of the gambling machines.\nThis is a perfect example of prioritizing a quick fix over long term health. We are trading away our seating capacity and our local culture for a gambling machine. It is a waste of space. If you want to gamble, there are places for that. But why should our community be riddled with this invasive species? It turns a community hub into a gambling corporation, taking a cut of the money while providing nothing of substance.\nWe also have to look at the human side of this. These machines are not making anyone rich. They are designed to keep people engaged long enough to drain their wallets. It is not a path to success. It is a path to debt. When we see these machines popping up in every corner, we are watching people trade their hard earned money for a digital chime that never actually pays out what they think it will. It is the opposite of the practical way of living that we value.\nI believe we can do better as a community. We should be looking for ways to support our local businesses that actually help them grow. We want our town to be a place where a neighbor can grab a sandwich and a seat at a table without being surrounded by the lure of a slot machine. We want our businesses to be rooted in something real, like good food and a place to sit down.\nLet us keep our towns practical and our spaces intentional. A restaurant should be a restaurant. A community should be a place where we can sit down and share a meal without the distraction of a gambling machine. We do not need to let our local landmarks be chipped away by a desperate shortcut. We can find a way forward that preserves our character and our common sense.\n","date":"August 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-27-gambled-community-away/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"They gambled away our feeling of community","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/video-poker/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Video Poker","type":"tags"},{"content":"You probably saw the headline about that big lawsuit against Meta(Facebook/Instagram). They are looking at a trillion dollars in damages for trying to keep people glued to their screens. While the number is huge, the real issue is not just about the money or the legal fees. It is about a business model that treats your attention like it\u0026rsquo;s theirs to sell.\nThe purpose of these platforms is not to help you get a job done. The purpose is to keep you scrolling so they can sell more ads. It is the ultimate middleman situation where they are selling your time and attention to the highest bidder.\nThey are being sued for things like infinite scrolling. That is just a fancy way of saying they built a trap that does not have an exit and it\u0026rsquo;s working exactly as they intend. In any other walk of life, if a tool made it harder for you to finish your work and go home to your family, you would throw that tool in the scrap heap. A tool should serve you, not the other way around.\nI stepped away from this stuff about ten years ago, and I can say from experience that my life got a lot quieter in the best way. Some might need it for work or satisfy your curiosity to see what your cousins are doing. And sure, there are ways to stay connected. But there is a difference between keeping in touch and being constantly fed a diet of other people\u0026rsquo;s highlights and curated opinions.\nIf you want to talk to someone, send a text or write an email. It is direct. It is intentional. It does not come with a side of distractions or an algorithm trying to tweak your mood. When you move back to those methods, you are taking back ownership of your own headspace. You are deciding who gets to talk to you and when.\nWe want to leave the next generation something better than feeling miserable and a short attention span. We want to give them the ability to think for themselves and the competence to do things with their own two hands. Free yourselves and your time. It is about making sure you are actually in the room with your own life. Quality over quantity. The people you stay connected to will be the ones that are worth the effort.\n","date":"August 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-24-say-no-social-media/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Just Say 'No' to Social Media","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/mental-health/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Mental Health","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/meta/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Meta","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/social-media/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Social Media","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 21, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/accents/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Accents","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 21, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/language/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Language","type":"tags"},{"content":"One of the things I take pride in the Midwest for is our lack of an accent. In other regions, you might hear that New York nasal tone or that Southern twang that makes everything slow down. But then there\u0026rsquo;s the Midwest. For a lot of folks, that\u0026rsquo;s the \u0026ldquo;neutral\u0026rdquo; ground. It\u0026rsquo;s the voice of plain-spoken practicality. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t try to be anything other than what it is, which is why it often goes unnoticed.\nGrowing up, I remember hearing that TV stations sought out Midwestern folks. They liked hiring anchors from our neck of the woods because we didn\u0026rsquo;t have those distinct regional markers. It was like we were the blank canvas of the American speaking voice. If you wanted to reach the whole country without sounding like you were from a specific backyard, you looked for someone who sounded like they were just talking to their neighbor over a fence.\nTake Tom Brokaw, for instance. He was born and raised in South Dakota and Nebraska. When you see a face like that on national television, and you hear a voice that sounds just like the one you hear locally, it makes you feel like you belong. It\u0026rsquo;s a small thing, but it matters. It tells you that your way of talking, putting words together without any extra frills, is the standard.\nThat kind of prominence does something interesting. When the voices of the Midwest get the biggest stages, they start to spread. People in other places hear that steady, level tone and start to adopt it. It becomes the baseline. It\u0026rsquo;s not about trying to sound like someone else; it\u0026rsquo;s just that the Midwest voice is so steady it becomes the default for everyone else to move toward. While I say it\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;no accent\u0026rdquo;, I know others will call it a Midwest accent.\nWhat the Linguists Say # Linguists have a name for that \u0026ldquo;neutral\u0026rdquo; sound: General American. It\u0026rsquo;s the broad, mostly unmarked accent heard across much of the Midwest and West, and it\u0026rsquo;s what most national news anchors, voice actors, and GPS voices aim for. It became the broadcast standard partly because it was easy for listeners all over the country to understand, and partly because so many of the people building radio and television came from or trained in the middle of the country.\nThe funny thing is that linguists will also tell you there\u0026rsquo;s no such thing as having no accent. Everyone has one. It\u0026rsquo;s just that when your accent matches what\u0026rsquo;s on TV, nobody points it out. Some parts of the Midwest have even developed very distinctive sounds. In cities around the Great Lakes, like Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland, a set of vowel changes known as the Northern Cities Vowel Shift makes words like \u0026ldquo;bag,\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;box,\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;bus\u0026rdquo; sound noticeably different from how they\u0026rsquo;re said in other regions. Think of the classic Chicago \u0026ldquo;da Bears.\u0026rdquo;\nThe Giveaways # Even when the vowels stay neutral, the vocabulary gives us away:\n\u0026ldquo;Ope!\u0026rdquo; The all-purpose sound for bumping into someone, dropping something, or needing to squeeze past you in the grocery aisle. It\u0026rsquo;s half the name of this site. Pop, not soda. Mostly, anyway. Wisconsin and the St. Louis area have their own ideas, and parts of Wisconsin will even call a drinking fountain a \u0026ldquo;bubbler.\u0026rdquo; \u0026ldquo;You betcha\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;Oh, for cute!\u0026rdquo; especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin. \u0026ldquo;Ya know?\u0026rdquo; at the end of a sentence, as a polite way of making sure you\u0026rsquo;re still with us. The long goodbye. Not exactly an accent, but leaving a Midwest gathering takes at least three separate goodbyes: one in the living room, one at the door, and one in the driveway. Of course, we aren\u0026rsquo;t completely without our own quirks. You still have the Minnesota \u0026ldquo;don\u0026rsquo;t know\u0026rdquo; that is bizarre in its own right, but for the most part, we\u0026rsquo;re the steady hand on the steering wheel of the American dialect. We aren\u0026rsquo;t trying to put on a show. We\u0026rsquo;re just telling it like it is, and sometimes, that gets people to listen.\n","date":"August 21, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-21-without-accent/","section":"Posts","summary":"One of the things I take pride in the Midwest for is our lack of an accent. In other regions, you might hear that New York nasal tone or that Southern twang that makes everything slow down. But then there’s the Midwest. For a lot of folks, that’s the “neutral” ground. It’s the voice of plain-spoken practicality. It doesn’t try to be anything other than what it is, which is why it often goes unnoticed.\nGrowing up, I remember hearing that TV stations sought out Midwestern folks. They liked hiring anchors from our neck of the woods because we didn’t have those distinct regional markers. It was like we were the blank canvas of the American speaking voice. If you wanted to reach the whole country without sounding like you were from a specific backyard, you looked for someone who sounded like they were just talking to their neighbor over a fence.\n","title":"The Midwest Accent: The Gold Standard","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/economy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Economy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/road-trip/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Road Trip","type":"tags"},{"content":"There is a lot of satisfaction in a long summer road trip. The straightforward reality of getting on the road, having a clear path ahead, and seeing the country for what it actually looks like, feels like making progress in your travels. I was looking to avoid a stretch of construction on an interstate and benefit from a more direct route across the state. This summer, I our vacation destination was on the other end of a proper road trip through the heart of the Midwest. We saw the real Illinois, the deep heart of Indiana, and the rolling landscapes of Ohio. It varied from farmland to factories, 1-stop sign towns to cities with skylines.\nThe Midwest can be more than just a place to drive through to get somewhere else. You can feel it in the way the land shifts from flat farmland to heavy industrial zones. You can see it in the way the towns are laid out, built by people who knew how to work a tool and how to build something that would outlast them. My goal was to see the transition. I wanted to see how these places were holding up, how they were changing, and what it felt like to see the layers of time stacked on top of one another.\nAt some point into Ohio, the scenery began to tighten up. The wide, open fields gave way to the heavy presence of the industrial corridor. This is the backbone of the region. It is a land of steel, heavy machinery, and the deep, steady work of production. You start to see the signs of the Rust Belt, that area where the old engines of American industry are still cooling down. Those towns were the reason the country grew, and there is a dignity in that history that you cannot just erase.\nI ended up in a town that perfectly illustrated this duality. It was a place with a visible line drawn through it, almost like a seam in a well worn piece of clothing. On one side of the main road, the past was leaning heavily into the present. There were these massive factories and warehouses that looked like they were losing a slow fight with time. The walls had jagged holes in them, and the roofs were caving in, creating hollow shadows where there used to be the roar of machines and the heat of production. It was a bit of a sad reminder of a better yesterday, a time when these buildings were the lifeblood of the community and provided a steady living for every family on the block.\nI was driving and couldn\u0026rsquo;t take a picture, so I \u0026ldquo;snapped this picture\u0026rdquo; with Google Streetview. The holes in the roof have only gotten bigger in the year since Google took the picture. The irony of being next to a roofing company gave a laugh to the car.\nIt is hard not to feel a bit of a tug in your chest when you see a place like that. You can see the scars of the economic shifts and the way the world moved on. But if you turn your head just a bit to the other side of town, the story changes. On the other side, the town was reaching for the future. There were modern buildings with clean lines, new services, and fresh construction. It was a different world, one that felt bright and full of movement. What looked like a recently remodeled car dealership had closed up and had a sign on it with their new location. Was the remodel a failure and the move a surrender or were they just adapting to the modern city?\nThis is the reality of the Rust Belt. It is not a graveyard. It is a living, breathing transition. The people who live here are not just mourning what was lost; they are actively building what comes next. They are taking the bones of the old world and finding ways to make them useful for the new one. It is a display of pure Midwest practicality. You don\u0026rsquo;t throw away what works, and you don\u0026rsquo;t give up on a community just because the old way of doing things changed. You adapt. You find a way to keep the lights on and keep the town moving forward.\nI spent some time driving through the town to see how it was organized. You could tell the growth had moved toward the interstate, but I took the time to follow the stretch through the old downtown. I checked out several landmarks that were just built right into the neighborhoods. It was clear that people were just living their lives with what they had. There was a humble, modest feel to it all. It was peaceful.\nThere is something to be said for knowing the dirt behind the things we see. When you see a modern building next to a ruined factory, you are seeing the truth of our economy. You are seeing the cost and the reality of change. It is not some polished image you see on a commercial. It is the real deal. It shows that success is not always a straight line. Sometimes it involves watching things break down while you are trying to build something new. It requires a lot of grit and a lot of patience.\nI found myself feeling a sense of respect for that town. It is easy to drive past and see only the decay, or to look at the new construction and think it is a sign of some grand rebirth. But the truth is in the middle. It is in the way the people keep showing up every day to do the work. They are the ones who keep the shops open, who maintain the roads, and who make sure the next generation has a place to call home. They are the ones who turn the page without tearing out the previous chapters.\nAs I headed out of town and back onto the interstate, the sun began to dip low in the sky behind me. The impression of the town stayed with me. I had seen the reality of the Midwest, and it was a beautiful, complicated thing. It is a place of hard work and honest history. It is a place where you can see the mistakes of the past and the hopes of the future sitting side by side. It is not always pretty, and it is not always easy, but it is real.\nThe goal of a road trip like this is not to find a perfect landscape. It is to find a real one. It is to see the way we live, how we build, and how we endure. Whether it is a factory with a hole in its wall or a new hospital with a modern look, both are part of the story. They are both part of the reason we have a country to live in. I am glad I took the time to see it all. It reminded me that there is a lot of strength in staying put and finding a way to make it work, no matter what the weather or the economy throws at you. Endurance is the ultimate Midwestern way of life.\n","date":"August 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-19-rust-belt-road-trip/","section":"Posts","summary":"There is a lot of satisfaction in a long summer road trip. The straightforward reality of getting on the road, having a clear path ahead, and seeing the country for what it actually looks like, feels like making progress in your travels. I was looking to avoid a stretch of construction on an interstate and benefit from a more direct route across the state. This summer, I our vacation destination was on the other end of a proper road trip through the heart of the Midwest. We saw the real Illinois, the deep heart of Indiana, and the rolling landscapes of Ohio. It varied from farmland to factories, 1-stop sign towns to cities with skylines.\nThe Midwest can be more than just a place to drive through to get somewhere else. You can feel it in the way the land shifts from flat farmland to heavy industrial zones. You can see it in the way the towns are laid out, built by people who knew how to work a tool and how to build something that would outlast them. My goal was to see the transition. I wanted to see how these places were holding up, how they were changing, and what it felt like to see the layers of time stacked on top of one another.\nAt some point into Ohio, the scenery began to tighten up. The wide, open fields gave way to the heavy presence of the industrial corridor. This is the backbone of the region. It is a land of steel, heavy machinery, and the deep, steady work of production. You start to see the signs of the Rust Belt, that area where the old engines of American industry are still cooling down. Those towns were the reason the country grew, and there is a dignity in that history that you cannot just erase.\n","title":"Road Trip Through a Rust Belt Town","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/rust-belt/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Rust Belt","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 18, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/car-insurance/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Car Insurance","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 18, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/personal-finance/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Personal Finance","type":"tags"},{"content":"There is a basic social contract on our roads. When you drive, you agree to be responsible for the space you occupy. Insurance is the way we back that promise up. When you are out on the road, you are relying on the fact that every other driver has the common sense to handle their own risks. Selfish people can turn a simple mistake into a catastrophe for everyone involved, since they\u0026rsquo;re driving thousands of pounds of steel at high speeds.\nWhen you encounter someone who refuses to carry coverage, it is a breakdown of that common sense. They are choosing a personal shortcut that creates a massive headache for everyone else. It is a letdown when people think first about saving money while creating a significant problem for others. It is the difference between owning your actions and just hoping for the best.\nThis behavior turns a simple mistake into a long process of paperwork, cost, and lost time, where you are left trying to make sense of someone else\u0026rsquo;s lack of foresight. It is frustrating to have your day hijacked because someone else decided to be reckless with their responsibility.\nHow Common Is It? # More common than most people think. The Insurance Research Council has estimated that roughly one in seven drivers in the U.S. is uninsured, and the rate is much higher in some states. Almost every state requires drivers to carry liability insurance, but requiring it and enforcing it are two different things.\nWhen an uninsured driver causes a crash, the costs don\u0026rsquo;t disappear. They get pushed onto the person who got hit, their insurance company, and eventually all of us through higher premiums. In other words, you\u0026rsquo;re already paying for uninsured drivers whether you like it or not.\nProtect Yourself Anyway # Since you can\u0026rsquo;t control who else is on the road, the practical move is to make sure your own policy has your back:\nUninsured motorist (UM) coverage pays for your injuries and, in some states, your car\u0026rsquo;s damage when the at-fault driver has no insurance. Some states, including Illinois, require it on auto policies. Even where it\u0026rsquo;s optional, it\u0026rsquo;s worth having. Underinsured motorist (UIM) coverage kicks in when the other driver has insurance, but not enough. State minimum liability limits are often low, and a serious crash can blow past them quickly. Collision coverage fixes your car regardless of who\u0026rsquo;s at fault, minus your deductible. If an uninsured driver hits you, this may be the fastest way to get back on the road. Check your limits. Minimum coverage is the bare legal minimum, not a recommendation. Ask your agent what higher limits would cost. It\u0026rsquo;s often less than you\u0026rsquo;d expect. If you\u0026rsquo;re ever in a crash, call the police, get a report, take photos, and get the other driver\u0026rsquo;s information, including their insurance card. If they don\u0026rsquo;t have one, that report will matter a lot.\nBeing a Good Neighbor on the Road # We should all aim to be the kind of people who don\u0026rsquo;t crash others\u0026rsquo; plans. At the end of the day, being a good neighbor means being prepared for when things go wrong, so the people around you don\u0026rsquo;t have to pay the price for your choices. Insurance isn\u0026rsquo;t fun to pay for. Neither is a new roof or a smoke detector. You buy it because you\u0026rsquo;re responsible for more than just yourself.\n","date":"August 18, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-18-uninsured-drivers/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Uninsured Drivers Break the Social Contract of the Road","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/card-games/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Card Games","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/euchre/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Euchre","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/family/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Family","type":"tags"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s something honest about a game of euchre or spades. You\u0026rsquo;re sitting across from someone, looking them in the eye, and trying to outthink them. It\u0026rsquo;s a bit of strategy, skill, and luck, wrapped up with a whole lot of personality. It\u0026rsquo;s a way to spend an evening that doesn\u0026rsquo;t involve a screen or a subscription, which makes it feel a little old-timey.\nIn a world that ironically feels increasingly disconnected, these games offer a rare chance to be truly present. Working with a partner forces you to communicate with shared goals and split-second decisions. You learn to trust the person across the table, and together, you navigate the flow of the game. It\u0026rsquo;s a team effort that builds a different kind of muscle than the ones we use for our daily work.\nPerhaps the best part is learning to work with what life deals you. You can\u0026rsquo;t control the cards you\u0026rsquo;re handed, just like you can\u0026rsquo;t always control the circumstances of the day. But you can control how you play them. Whether you\u0026rsquo;re holding a winning hand or trying to salvage a difficult one, there\u0026rsquo;s a quiet dignity in making the best of what\u0026rsquo;s on the table. It\u0026rsquo;s a small-scale lesson in resilience, wrapped in a game of cards and shared laughs.\nEuchre: The Unofficial Card Game of the Midwest # If you didn\u0026rsquo;t grow up in the Midwest, there\u0026rsquo;s a good chance you\u0026rsquo;ve never heard of euchre. If you did, there\u0026rsquo;s a good chance you learned it at a kitchen table, a family reunion, or a college dorm. It\u0026rsquo;s especially popular in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, and Wisconsin, where euchre tournaments at bars, churches, and VFW halls are a regular thing.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s the basic idea:\nFour players, two teams. Partners sit across from each other. A small deck. Only the 9s, 10s, Jacks, Queens, Kings, and Aces are used, so 24 cards total. Everyone gets five. Picking trump. One card is turned face up, and players take turns deciding whether that suit becomes trump. If everyone passes, players can name a different suit. The bowers. This is the part that confuses newcomers. The Jack of the trump suit (the \u0026ldquo;right bower\u0026rdquo;) is the highest card in the game. The other Jack of the same color (the \u0026ldquo;left bower\u0026rdquo;) is the second highest and counts as trump. Take the tricks. The team that called trump needs to win at least three of the five tricks. Win all five and you get bonus points. Fail and the other team scores instead, which is called getting \u0026ldquo;euchred.\u0026rdquo; Going alone. If you\u0026rsquo;ve got a monster hand, you can tell your partner to sit out and try to take all five tricks yourself for even more points. First team to 10 points wins. It\u0026rsquo;s quick to learn, fast to play, and full of table talk.\nSpades and Other Partner Games # Spades works on a similar idea with a full deck. Spades are always trump, and each team bids how many tricks it expects to take. Bid too high and you get set back. Bid too low and you pile up \u0026ldquo;bags\u0026rdquo; that eventually cost you. It rewards honest bidding and knowing your partner\u0026rsquo;s habits.\nPinochle, bridge, and cribbage all have their own loyal tables across the region too. Every family seems to have its own house rules, and arguing about them is half the fun.\nDeal Someone In # Card games are cheap, portable, and work for almost any age. A deck of cards costs a few dollars and fits in your pocket. If you have kids, teach them. If you have older relatives, ask them to teach you their game. Some of the best conversations happen while someone is deciding whether to call trump.\n","date":"August 17, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-17-card-games-strategy/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"The Strategy of the Shuffle: Why Card Games Still Matter","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/emergency-preparedness/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Emergency Preparedness","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/severe-weather/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Severe Weather","type":"tags"},{"content":"This year has been crazy weather-wise. We went from a drought last year to what feels like a flood of storms this year, and both extremes make life harder. You hear about the \u0026ldquo;shifting Tornado Alley,\u0026rdquo; and the data really does reflect a move toward the Midwest, with Illinois as the bullseye.\nSource: 2026 Tornadoes by State\nWhen the wind, hail, and lightning start coming more often, it\u0026rsquo;s a sign that our traditional ways of planning for the seasons are being tested by a changing reality.\nWhat \u0026ldquo;Shifting Tornado Alley\u0026rdquo; Means # For generations, \u0026ldquo;Tornado Alley\u0026rdquo; meant the southern Great Plains: Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. That\u0026rsquo;s where the classic storm-chaser footage came from. But researchers have been tracking a change over the last few decades. Tornado activity has been decreasing in parts of the traditional Plains alley and increasing farther east, across the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys and into the Midwest and Southeast. A widely cited 2018 study by researchers at Northern Illinois University and NOAA\u0026rsquo;s National Severe Storms Laboratory found significant increases in tornado frequency in parts of the Midwest and Southeast since 1979.\nThat matters because the eastern half of the country is different from the open Plains. There are more people, more trees and hills that block the view of an approaching storm, and more tornadoes that happen at night, when people are asleep. Those factors make tornadoes here more dangerous, even when they\u0026rsquo;re not more powerful.\nThe Cost Shows Up on Everyone\u0026rsquo;s Bill # This shift has very real consequences for everyone\u0026rsquo;s wallet. For farmers, it can mean damaged crops, buildings, and equipment, plus more uncertainty for the next season. For everyone else, it means insurance premiums are going to keep climbing as more roofs need to be replaced and cars take damage. Some insurers have raised deductibles for wind and hail damage or pulled back from certain areas entirely.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a tough cycle to be in, and it shows how much our daily lives depend on the stability of our environment and the fairness of the systems we rely on. It\u0026rsquo;s not just bad luck, and now is the best time to do something about it.\nHow to Be Ready # You can\u0026rsquo;t stop a tornado, but you can be ready for one:\nHave more than one way to get warnings. Outdoor sirens are designed to warn people who are outside, not to wake you up indoors. Turn on emergency alerts on your phone and consider a NOAA weather radio, especially for overnight storms. Know your safe spot. The best place is a basement or storm shelter. If you don\u0026rsquo;t have one, go to an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows, like a bathroom or closet. Keep a kit ready. Flashlights, batteries, water, a first aid kit, medications, sturdy shoes, and a phone charger. Know the difference between a watch and a warning. A watch means conditions are right for tornadoes. A warning means one has been spotted or indicated on radar. When there\u0026rsquo;s a warning, take cover now. Review your insurance. Check your wind and hail deductible, make sure your coverage would actually rebuild your home at today\u0026rsquo;s prices, and take a video inventory of your belongings. Tornado season in the Midwest used to feel like something that happened to other people. Not anymore. A little preparation now beats scrambling when the sirens go off.\n#ClimateChange\n","date":"August 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-14-tornado-alley/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Shifting Tornado Alley: Illinois in the Bullseye","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 14, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/tornadoes/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tornadoes","type":"tags"},{"content":"One of the biggest ways we waste money at home is by heating water that doesn\u0026rsquo;t actually need to be hot. If you switch your laundry to cold water, you stop draining your hot water supply and save on your natural gas or electric bill.\nA few years back, I saw on the detergent bottle that it said \u0026ldquo;cold water wash compatible\u0026rdquo; and it did not make any sense to waste that energy on my clothes if it wasn\u0026rsquo;t necessary. I switched to the tap cold setting and everything has washed perfectly well since. It is not usually the default setting on the machine, so it takes a few extra button pushes each load, but it is a small effort for a decent bit of savings. I have been doing it for years and the clothes are just as clean.\nWhere the Energy Actually Goes # The washing machine motor doesn\u0026rsquo;t use much electricity. Heating the water is the expensive part. According to ENERGY STAR, about 90% of the energy a clothes washer uses goes to heating water. That means switching from warm or hot to cold cuts out almost all of the energy cost of a load, without changing anything else.\nModern detergents are designed for it. The enzymes in today\u0026rsquo;s detergents are made to break down stains and dirt at lower temperatures, which is why so many bottles now advertise cold-water cleaning. Cold water is also gentler on fabrics, so colors fade less, clothes shrink less, and they tend to last longer.\nWhen Hot Water Still Makes Sense # Cold isn\u0026rsquo;t always the right call. Hot water is still useful for:\nHeavily soiled or greasy work clothes where the grease needs heat to loosen up. Sanitizing bedding, towels, and clothes when someone in the house has been sick. Cloth diapers and anything else the manufacturer says to wash hot. For everyday shirts, jeans, socks, and sheets, cold does the job.\nMore Easy Hot Water Savings # While you\u0026rsquo;re thinking about hot water, a few other quick wins:\nCheck your water heater temperature. The Department of Energy suggests 120°F for most households. Many water heaters ship set to 140°F, which wastes energy and raises the risk of scalding. Wash full loads. The machine uses close to the same energy whether it\u0026rsquo;s half full or full. Use the high-spin setting. It wrings out more water, so your dryer runs for less time. Fix dripping hot water faucets. A slow drip of hot water is money going down the drain, literally. Switching to \u0026rsquo;tap cold\u0026rsquo; is a cool move that keeps your hot water ready for when you actually need it. It is just common sense. Save that extra money for something you can actually enjoy.\nHere\u0026rsquo;s what Tide says on their website:\n_Q: Does Tide Original Boosted Liquid Laundry Detergent clean in cold water?\nA: Yes. Tide’s trusted cleaning ingredients are so powerful that it cleans even better* in cold water than the competition does in similar washing conditions. *Stain removal of one dose of Tide vs. six doses of the leading competitor liquid brand base variant.\n_Q: Can I save energy by washing in cold water with Tide Original Boosted Liquid Laundry Detergent?\nA: Yes. In fact, if all Las Vegas households switched to washing in cold for one month, you could power the Strip for up to six days!* Just imagine the savings you could see in your household by doing the same. *Based on total electricity use in the United States and all US households switching all loads from warm to cold temperature in standard, top-loading machines with electric water heaters.\nI\u0026rsquo;m not getting paid to advertise this. Just recommending it for the energy and cost savings!\n","date":"August 13, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-13-cool-energy-savings/","section":"Posts","summary":"One of the biggest ways we waste money at home is by heating water that doesn’t actually need to be hot. If you switch your laundry to cold water, you stop draining your hot water supply and save on your natural gas or electric bill.\nA few years back, I saw on the detergent bottle that it said “cold water wash compatible” and it did not make any sense to waste that energy on my clothes if it wasn’t necessary. I switched to the tap cold setting and everything has washed perfectly well since. It is not usually the default setting on the machine, so it takes a few extra button pushes each load, but it is a small effort for a decent bit of savings. I have been doing it for years and the clothes are just as clean.\nWhere the Energy Actually Goes # The washing machine motor doesn’t use much electricity. Heating the water is the expensive part. According to ENERGY STAR, about 90% of the energy a clothes washer uses goes to heating water. That means switching from warm or hot to cold cuts out almost all of the energy cost of a load, without changing anything else.\nModern detergents are designed for it. The enzymes in today’s detergents are made to break down stains and dirt at lower temperatures, which is why so many bottles now advertise cold-water cleaning. Cold water is also gentler on fabrics, so colors fade less, clothes shrink less, and they tend to last longer.\nWhen Hot Water Still Makes Sense # Cold isn’t always the right call. Hot water is still useful for:\nHeavily soiled or greasy work clothes where the grease needs heat to loosen up. Sanitizing bedding, towels, and clothes when someone in the house has been sick. Cloth diapers and anything else the manufacturer says to wash hot. For everyday shirts, jeans, socks, and sheets, cold does the job.\nMore Easy Hot Water Savings # While you’re thinking about hot water, a few other quick wins:\nCheck your water heater temperature. The Department of Energy suggests 120°F for most households. Many water heaters ship set to 140°F, which wastes energy and raises the risk of scalding. Wash full loads. The machine uses close to the same energy whether it’s half full or full. Use the high-spin setting. It wrings out more water, so your dryer runs for less time. Fix dripping hot water faucets. A slow drip of hot water is money going down the drain, literally. Switching to ’tap cold’ is a cool move that keeps your hot water ready for when you actually need it. It is just common sense. Save that extra money for something you can actually enjoy.\n","title":"Cool Energy Savings: Wash Your Laundry in Cold Water","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 13, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/energy-savings/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Energy Savings","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 13, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/home/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Home","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 13, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/laundry/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Laundry","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 13, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/saving-money/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Saving Money","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 12, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/education/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Education","type":"tags"},{"content":"The Midwest is home to many top tier universities.\nIllinois # University of Chicago The University of Chicago is a world-renowned private research university in Chicago. It is consistently ranked among the top universities globally, particularly noted for its rigorous academic environment, prestigious graduate programs, and significant contributions to the social sciences, law, and physics. It is home to the University of Chicago Press and several major research institutes.\nNorthwestern University Northwestern University is a premier private research university located in Evanston. It is globally recognized for its high-impact research, academic excellence, and prestigious programs in journalism, engineering, and the arts. Northwestern maintains a reputation for innovation and produces a significant number of leaders in both the private and public sectors.\nUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) As the flagship public land-grant university of Illinois, UIUC is a powerhouse of research and innovation. It is particularly famous for its engineering programs, which are consistently ranked among the best in the nation. The university serves as a major hub for technological advancement and maintains a massive footprint in undergraduate and graduate research.\nIndiana # Purdue University Purdue University is a premier public land-grant research institution located in West Lafayette. It is globally recognized for its high-impact research in engineering, aviation, and computer science. As a top-tier land-grant school, it balances a strong commitment to public service and workforce development with elite academic prestige.\nIndiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington is a major public research university known for its diverse academic offerings and strong presence in the humanities, business, and education. It serves as the flagship campus of the Indiana University system and is highly regarded for its research output and large-scale campus life.\nIowa # University of Iowa The University of Iowa is a prominent public research university in Iowa City. It is highly regarded for its programs in the arts, specifically its world-renowned Iowa Writers\u0026rsquo; Workshop, as well as its strong medical and nursing schools. It maintains a significant role as a research hub for the state of Iowa.\nKansas # Kansas State University Kansas State University is a major public land-grant research university in Manhattan. It is widely recognized for its leadership in agriculture, engineering, and veterinary medicine. As a land-grant institution, it focuses heavily on practical research that supports the regional and national economy.\nUniversity of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university in Lawrence. It offers a prestigious academic environment with significant research output in the fields of medicine, engineering, and business. KU is known for its high-quality undergraduate education and its status as a leading public institution in the region.\nMichigan # University of Michigan The University of Michigan is one of the most prestigious public research universities in the world. It is a leader in almost every academic discipline, offering world-class research facilities and a massive endowment that fuels innovation. Its reputation for academic excellence and high-impact research makes it a top-tier global institution.\nMichigan State University Michigan State University is a major public land-grant research university in East Lansing. It is particularly well-regarded for its programs in agriculture, forestry, and many of the engineering sciences. MSU serves as a vital center for research and education, balancing large-scale public service with high-level academic output.\nMinnesota # University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities is a leading public land-grant research university. It is highly regarded for its research in medicine, engineering, and the sciences. With a massive research enterprise, the university is a primary driver of economic and intellectual growth in the Upper Midwest.\nMissouri # University of Missouri The University of Missouri is the state\u0026rsquo;s flagship public land-grant research university. It provides a broad range of research-driven education, with notable strengths in journalism, agriculture, and engineering. It serves as a central pillar of higher education in the state.\nWashington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis is a premier private research university known for its elite academic reputation. It is particularly famous for its world-class medical school and its contributions to research in biological sciences, business, and social work. It holds a high level of prestige among the nation\u0026rsquo;s top private institutions.\nNebraska # Creighton University Creighton University is a prestigious private Jesuit research university in Omaha. It is recognized for its strong commitment to the liberal arts, its high-quality nursing and pharmacy programs, and its significant contributions to healthcare research and education.\nUniversity of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln is the state\u0026rsquo;s flagship public land-grant research university. It is highly regarded for its programs in agriculture, engineering, and education. The university is a primary driver of research and economic development in Nebraska.\nNorth Dakota # North Dakota State University North Dakota State University is the primary public land-grant research university in the state. It is highly respected for its focus on agricultural sciences, engineering, and technology, serving as a critical research hub for the state\u0026rsquo;s agricultural and industrial sectors.\nOhio # Ohio State University Ohio State University is one of the largest and most prestigious public land-grant research universities in the United States. It is a massive research engine with significant output in engineering, medicine, and the social sciences. Its global reputation and extensive research facilities make it a top-tier institution.\nSouth Dakota # South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a prominent public land-grant research university. It is particularly well-regarded for its programs in agriculture, veterinary medicine, and engineering, maintaining a strong focus on practical research and state service.\nWisconsin # Marquette University Marquette University is a prestigious private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee. It is highly regarded for its programs in nursing, business, and theology, and is well-known for its commitment to research and service in the Midwest.\nUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a world-class public land-grant research university. It is renowned for its excellence in the sciences, particularly in physics, chemistry, and biology, and is consistently ranked as one of the top research universities globally.\nA Big Ten Perspective # I went to a Big Ten university here in the Midwest, and I looked at several of the schools on this list before I picked one. Once I was there, a lot of my favorite memories came from game days: packed stadiums on fall Saturdays and loud basketball arenas in the winter, cheering against many of the same universities I had once toured.\nThe Big Ten is one of the things that ties this list together. It started in 1896 as the Western Conference, making it the oldest Division I athletic conference in the country. The original members were Chicago, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin, all Midwest schools. The University of Chicago later left, and the conference has since grown coast to coast, adding schools like Penn State, Maryland, Rutgers, and, in 2024, UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington. But its roots, and most of its rivalries, are still right here.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s more than sports. Big Ten universities also share research and library resources through the Big Ten Academic Alliance, which gives students and faculty access to collections far beyond their own campus.\nIf you\u0026rsquo;re helping someone choose a school, a few practical tips:\nVisit in person. A campus feels very different on a Tuesday in February than it does in a brochure. Compare in-state tuition. The flagship public universities in the Midwest offer some of the best value in the country for in-state students. Look into tuition exchange programs. The Midwest Student Exchange Program lets students at participating schools in member states pay reduced out-of-state tuition. Look past the rankings. The right fit, the right program, and graduating without crushing debt matter more than a number on a list. ","date":"August 12, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-12-top-midwest-universities/","section":"Posts","summary":"The Midwest is home to many top tier universities.\nIllinois # University of Chicago The University of Chicago is a world-renowned private research university in Chicago. It is consistently ranked among the top universities globally, particularly noted for its rigorous academic environment, prestigious graduate programs, and significant contributions to the social sciences, law, and physics. It is home to the University of Chicago Press and several major research institutes.\nNorthwestern University Northwestern University is a premier private research university located in Evanston. It is globally recognized for its high-impact research, academic excellence, and prestigious programs in journalism, engineering, and the arts. Northwestern maintains a reputation for innovation and produces a significant number of leaders in both the private and public sectors.\nUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) As the flagship public land-grant university of Illinois, UIUC is a powerhouse of research and innovation. It is particularly famous for its engineering programs, which are consistently ranked among the best in the nation. The university serves as a major hub for technological advancement and maintains a massive footprint in undergraduate and graduate research.\n","title":"Top Midwest Universities","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 12, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/universities/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Universities","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/car-maintenance/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Car Maintenance","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/fuel-economy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Fuel Economy","type":"tags"},{"content":"Have you ever been driving along on the interstate and see the brake lights of the car in front of you briefly come on for seemingly no reason? I know I do. I call it \u0026ldquo;phantom braking.\u0026rdquo; Most of the time, the driver would have known traffic was slowing down. They had the opportunity to simply ease off the accelerator, allowing the vehicle\u0026rsquo;s natural momentum to carry it forward at a reduced speed. Instead, they chose to hit the brakes, creating a ripple effect of sudden stops that can be dangerous for everyone on the road.\nLearning to coast is one of the simplest ways to become a smoother, more efficient driver. When you see traffic ahead beginning to bunch up, a slow vehicle ahead, or a stop light, take your foot off the accelerator sooner before reaching for the brake pedal. This allows for a gradual reduction in speed that is much easier for the drivers behind you to react to. It creates a smoother flow of traffic, reducing the \u0026ldquo;stop-and-go\u0026rdquo; stress that makes highway driving so exhausting.\nWhy One Tap Causes a Traffic Jam # Traffic engineers have a name for what happens next: a \u0026ldquo;phantom traffic jam.\u0026rdquo; When one driver brakes a little harder than they needed to, the driver behind them brakes a little harder still, and so on down the line. A few cars back, someone comes to a complete stop for no visible reason. Researchers have even recreated this on a circular test track, where drivers going in a circle with no obstacles at all still created stop-and-go waves just from small, uneven braking. Smooth drivers who leave space and ease off early can absorb those waves instead of passing them along.\nCoasting works best with room to do it. A good rule is to keep at least three seconds of following distance between you and the car ahead. Pick a sign or overpass, and when the car in front passes it, count. If you reach it before you get to three, back off. That space is what lets you lift off the gas and slow down gently instead of reacting at the last second.\nCoasting in an EV # I\u0026rsquo;ve been driving an EV since 2023, and coasting works a little differently there. Most electric vehicles use regenerative braking. When you lift off the accelerator, the electric motor runs in reverse like a generator, slowing the car and sending some of that energy back into the battery. Many EVs offer a \u0026ldquo;one-pedal driving\u0026rdquo; mode where lifting off the accelerator slows the car firmly enough that you rarely need the brake pedal at all in normal traffic.\nThat makes coasting even more rewarding in an EV. Every slowdown you plan ahead for puts a little range back in the battery instead of turning it into heat in your brake pads. It also means the brakes on many EVs last a very long time. The same habit works in a hybrid, too, since hybrids also use regenerative braking.\nBeyond the safety and comfort factor, coasting is just plain practical. For gas-powered vehicles, it saves on fuel by reducing the constant cycle of acceleration and braking. For EVs, it\u0026rsquo;s also more efficient, as it preserves battery life and maximizes range. It also puts significantly less wear and tear on your brake pads and rotors, saving you money on maintenance down the road. Next time you see a slowdown ahead, try to coast for a while. It might clear up before you even need to reach for the brakes. It\u0026rsquo;s better for your car, better for your wallet, and a lot smoother for your neighbors.\n","date":"August 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-11-learning-to-coast/","section":"Posts","summary":"Have you ever been driving along on the interstate and see the brake lights of the car in front of you briefly come on for seemingly no reason? I know I do. I call it “phantom braking.” Most of the time, the driver would have known traffic was slowing down. They had the opportunity to simply ease off the accelerator, allowing the vehicle’s natural momentum to carry it forward at a reduced speed. Instead, they chose to hit the brakes, creating a ripple effect of sudden stops that can be dangerous for everyone on the road.\nLearning to coast is one of the simplest ways to become a smoother, more efficient driver. When you see traffic ahead beginning to bunch up, a slow vehicle ahead, or a stop light, take your foot off the accelerator sooner before reaching for the brake pedal. This allows for a gradual reduction in speed that is much easier for the drivers behind you to react to. It creates a smoother flow of traffic, reducing the “stop-and-go” stress that makes highway driving so exhausting.\nWhy One Tap Causes a Traffic Jam # Traffic engineers have a name for what happens next: a “phantom traffic jam.” When one driver brakes a little harder than they needed to, the driver behind them brakes a little harder still, and so on down the line. A few cars back, someone comes to a complete stop for no visible reason. Researchers have even recreated this on a circular test track, where drivers going in a circle with no obstacles at all still created stop-and-go waves just from small, uneven braking. Smooth drivers who leave space and ease off early can absorb those waves instead of passing them along.\nCoasting works best with room to do it. A good rule is to keep at least three seconds of following distance between you and the car ahead. Pick a sign or overpass, and when the car in front passes it, count. If you reach it before you get to three, back off. That space is what lets you lift off the gas and slow down gently instead of reacting at the last second.\nCoasting in an EV # I’ve been driving an EV since 2023, and coasting works a little differently there. Most electric vehicles use regenerative braking. When you lift off the accelerator, the electric motor runs in reverse like a generator, slowing the car and sending some of that energy back into the battery. Many EVs offer a “one-pedal driving” mode where lifting off the accelerator slows the car firmly enough that you rarely need the brake pedal at all in normal traffic.\nThat makes coasting even more rewarding in an EV. Every slowdown you plan ahead for puts a little range back in the battery instead of turning it into heat in your brake pads. It also means the brakes on many EVs last a very long time. The same habit works in a hybrid, too, since hybrids also use regenerative braking.\nBeyond the safety and comfort factor, coasting is just plain practical. For gas-powered vehicles, it saves on fuel by reducing the constant cycle of acceleration and braking. For EVs, it’s also more efficient, as it preserves battery life and maximizes range. It also puts significantly less wear and tear on your brake pads and rotors, saving you money on maintenance down the road. Next time you see a slowdown ahead, try to coast for a while. It might clear up before you even need to reach for the brakes. It’s better for your car, better for your wallet, and a lot smoother for your neighbors.\n","title":"Take Your Foot Off the Gas and Learn The Art of the Coast","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/entertainment/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Entertainment","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/movies/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Movies","type":"tags"},{"content":"In the summer of 2023, we had Barbenheimer, when the theatrical release of the bright pink Barbie overlapped with Christopher Nolan\u0026rsquo;s dark, historical Oppenheimer. Two completely different worlds got mashed together into one massive cultural moment. I think we\u0026rsquo;re ready for another one with Marvel\u0026rsquo;s Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Christopher Nolan\u0026rsquo;s The Odyssey.\nBoth movies are long journeys for their heroes. We can call it \u0026ldquo;Ody-Spider\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Spider-ssey,\u0026rdquo; the ultimate crossover between the web-swinger we all love and the epic Greek journey of the Odyssey. There\u0026rsquo;s already a huge overlap in the cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Jon Bernthal are in both movies.\nWhy Barbenheimer Worked # Barbenheimer wasn\u0026rsquo;t planned by the studios. It was the internet\u0026rsquo;s idea. People noticed two movies that couldn\u0026rsquo;t be more different were coming out on the same day, and it turned into a joke, then a meme, and then a real event. People dressed in pink for one and black for the other and made a full day of it. Both movies did huge business, and it got a lot of people back into theaters who hadn\u0026rsquo;t been in years.\nThe lesson was that people still love going to the movies when it feels like an event. Not every movie needs to be a double feature, but when the timing lines up, it\u0026rsquo;s fun to be part of something everybody\u0026rsquo;s talking about.\nThe Double Feature Lineup # This summer\u0026rsquo;s version lines up pretty well. The Odyssey came out in mid-July, with Matt Damon as Odysseus trying to get home from the Trojan War, and Nolan shot it on IMAX film cameras, so it was made for the biggest screen you can find. Spider-Man: Brand New Day swung in a couple of weeks later, at the end of July.\nOn paper, they\u0026rsquo;re opposites. One is a 3,000-year-old Greek epic about gods, monsters, and a long sea voyage. The other is a modern superhero story set in New York. But at the heart of both is a hero far from home, trying to get back to the people they love, and paying a price along the way. That\u0026rsquo;s a pretty good theme for a double feature.\nThe Crossover We Deserve # After the last Spider-Man movie explored the multiverse, a time-traveling Spider-Man back in ancient Greece seems within reach. He could put armor on over the red-and-blue suit and join the quest home. Picture him webbing the Cyclops\u0026rsquo;s eye shut, or sticking to the side of the ship while everyone else is tied to the mast to resist the Sirens. It would be challenging without tall buildings to swing from, but a hero has to do what a hero has to do.\nPlanning Your Own # If you want to try the double feature:\nWatch The Odyssey first. It\u0026rsquo;s the heavier, longer movie, so catch it while you\u0026rsquo;re fresh. See it in IMAX if you can. It was shot for that format. Take a real break in between. Get a meal and talk about the first one. Finish with Spider-Man. End the day on something a little lighter. Have fun!\n","date":"August 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-08-ody-spider/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Ody-Spider or Spider-ssey: The Next Barbenheimer","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/spider-man/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Spider-Man","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/the-odyssey/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"The Odyssey","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/etiquette/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Etiquette","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/midwest-values/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Midwest Values","type":"tags"},{"content":"We often hear the old saying that good fences make good neighbors, and that principle applies to more than just property lines. In a shared space like a theater, the rules are the fence. They exist to ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience they paid for without distraction. When someone chooses to ignore those boundaries by constantly using their phone, they are tearing down that fence for everyone else. It is a matter of basic consideration. If you are going to be in a public space, it is your responsibility to respect the common ground and the shared experience of the people sitting next to and behind you.\nI was at a play recently and experienced this distraction from the actual performance. About halfway through, the person sitting in front of me started treating their phone like it was the main attraction. They were constantly pulling it out to take pictures or videos and replying to texts. Every time that light shone in my eyes, it felt like a tiny fence was being knocked over. It was frustrating and I did not want to be further interrupted by an usher having to do the rule enforcement.\nIt just goes to show that being a good neighbor means respecting the shared space we are all in. It is sad how we have reached a point where some people think their notifications are more important than the live art they are paying to see. They are treating the audience like a background for their social media feed. If you cannot respect the fence of the theater rules, maybe you are not the right audience for the show.\nArtists Are Pushing Back # It\u0026rsquo;s not just audience members who are fed up. Performers have noticed too. Some comedians and musicians now require audiences to lock their phones in small pouches at the door, and the phone is only unlocked when you leave or step out to a designated area. Broadway actors have stopped mid-scene to call out people filming them. Plenty of theaters now play a pre-show announcement that\u0026rsquo;s longer and more pointed than it used to be, because the polite version wasn\u0026rsquo;t working.\nIt says something when the people on stage have to enforce manners. They\u0026rsquo;re giving a live performance that will never happen exactly the same way again. The least we can do is watch it.\nSimple Rules for Being a Good Audience Member # None of this is complicated, but it\u0026rsquo;s worth spelling out:\nSilence it and put it away. Not face down on your lap. Away, in a pocket or bag. Don\u0026rsquo;t film or photograph the performance. It\u0026rsquo;s usually against the rules for copyright reasons, it distracts the performers, and your blurry video is never going to be as good as the memory. If you must check it, leave. An emergency is an emergency. Step out to the lobby where your screen won\u0026rsquo;t light up the row. Turn off the smartwatch notifications too. A glowing wrist is just a smaller phone. Take your photos before and after. The stage, the set, the marquee, and the people you came with are all fair game before the lights go down and after the curtain call. Showing consideration to others in shared spaces is part of Midwestern values. Let\u0026rsquo;s try to be better neighbors. A little consideration goes a long way!\n","date":"August 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-07-movie-phone/","section":"Posts","summary":"We often hear the old saying that good fences make good neighbors, and that principle applies to more than just property lines. In a shared space like a theater, the rules are the fence. They exist to ensure that everyone can enjoy the experience they paid for without distraction. When someone chooses to ignore those boundaries by constantly using their phone, they are tearing down that fence for everyone else. It is a matter of basic consideration. If you are going to be in a public space, it is your responsibility to respect the common ground and the shared experience of the people sitting next to and behind you.\nI was at a play recently and experienced this distraction from the actual performance. About halfway through, the person sitting in front of me started treating their phone like it was the main attraction. They were constantly pulling it out to take pictures or videos and replying to texts. Every time that light shone in my eyes, it felt like a tiny fence was being knocked over. It was frustrating and I did not want to be further interrupted by an usher having to do the rule enforcement.\nIt just goes to show that being a good neighbor means respecting the shared space we are all in. It is sad how we have reached a point where some people think their notifications are more important than the live art they are paying to see. They are treating the audience like a background for their social media feed. If you cannot respect the fence of the theater rules, maybe you are not the right audience for the show.\nArtists Are Pushing Back # It’s not just audience members who are fed up. Performers have noticed too. Some comedians and musicians now require audiences to lock their phones in small pouches at the door, and the phone is only unlocked when you leave or step out to a designated area. Broadway actors have stopped mid-scene to call out people filming them. Plenty of theaters now play a pre-show announcement that’s longer and more pointed than it used to be, because the polite version wasn’t working.\nIt says something when the people on stage have to enforce manners. They’re giving a live performance that will never happen exactly the same way again. The least we can do is watch it.\nSimple Rules for Being a Good Audience Member # None of this is complicated, but it’s worth spelling out:\nSilence it and put it away. Not face down on your lap. Away, in a pocket or bag. Don’t film or photograph the performance. It’s usually against the rules for copyright reasons, it distracts the performers, and your blurry video is never going to be as good as the memory. If you must check it, leave. An emergency is an emergency. Step out to the lobby where your screen won’t light up the row. Turn off the smartwatch notifications too. A glowing wrist is just a smaller phone. Take your photos before and after. The stage, the set, the marquee, and the people you came with are all fair game before the lights go down and after the curtain call. Showing consideration to others in shared spaces is part of Midwestern values. Let’s try to be better neighbors. A little consideration goes a long way!\n","title":"Shining a Light on Inconsiderate People","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/smartphones/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Smartphones","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 7, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/theater/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Theater","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 5, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/bidet/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Bidet","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 5, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/customer-service/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Customer Service","type":"tags"},{"content":"I recently stayed at a nice (or at least expensive) hotel. One disappointment was the very thin toilet paper. It\u0026rsquo;s ridiculous that they\u0026rsquo;d undermine the whole hospitality experience on something so cheap. The \u0026ldquo;luxury\u0026rdquo; experience was a fancy lobby and a cheap bathroom.\nIt really came into focus later, on the drive home, when a free gas station bathroom had my back(side) with noticeably better toilet paper. It still wasn\u0026rsquo;t as good as what I have at home, but it showed how bad (and memorable) the hotel\u0026rsquo;s supply was.\nThe Little Things Are the Big Things # You\u0026rsquo;d think a hotel charging a few hundred dollars a night would want every detail to say \u0026ldquo;you\u0026rsquo;re worth it.\u0026rdquo; Instead, someone in a corporate office looked at a spreadsheet and figured out they could save a fraction of a cent per roll. Multiply that by thousands of rooms and it adds up for them. For the guest, it\u0026rsquo;s a reminder every single time that the company cut a corner and assumed you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t notice.\nWe notice. The lobby chandelier is what they want you to see. The toilet paper is what they actually think of you.\nThis goes well beyond hotels. A restaurant with beautiful decor and a dirty restroom. A car with a fancy touchscreen and a cupholder that can\u0026rsquo;t hold a cup. A website with a slick homepage and a checkout that crashes. The small, unglamorous details are where you find out what a business really cares about, because those are the places nobody\u0026rsquo;s taking pictures.\nPly, Explained # If you\u0026rsquo;ve ever wondered what the numbers on the package mean, \u0026ldquo;ply\u0026rdquo; is the number of layers. One-ply is a single thin sheet. Two-ply is two layers pressed together, which makes it softer, stronger, and more absorbent. Commercial bathrooms often use one-ply because it\u0026rsquo;s cheaper and less likely to clog older plumbing. That\u0026rsquo;s understandable at a highway rest stop. It\u0026rsquo;s a lot harder to excuse at a place with valet parking.\nHome, Sweet Home # After the drive back, I made it home, where I control the TP budget and have a bidet. Home, sweet home!\nIf you\u0026rsquo;ve never tried a bidet, it\u0026rsquo;s one of the most practical upgrades you can make to a bathroom. Simple bidet attachments fit under the toilet seat you already have, connect to the water line behind the toilet, and don\u0026rsquo;t need electricity. Many install in well under an hour with basic tools. They\u0026rsquo;re common in much of Europe, Asia, and South America, and once people try one, they rarely go back.\nThe benefits are pretty practical:\nYou\u0026rsquo;ll use a lot less toilet paper, which saves money over time and is better for the environment. It\u0026rsquo;s cleaner. Water does a better job than paper alone. It\u0026rsquo;s gentler, especially for anyone dealing with sensitivity or health issues. You\u0026rsquo;re less affected by toilet paper shortages. Remember 2020? So the next time you\u0026rsquo;re paying for a \u0026ldquo;premium\u0026rdquo; experience, check the bathroom. It\u0026rsquo;ll tell you more about the place than the lobby ever will. And if you want a little luxury every day, you can install it yourself for less than one night at that hotel.\n","date":"August 5, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-05-cheap-tp/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Half Ply? The Hotel Toilet Paper Problem","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 5, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/hotels/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Hotels","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"August 5, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/travel/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Travel","type":"tags"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a lot of noise out there telling us how we should spend our time off, but I think the real answer is pretty straightforward: pick whatever works for your family and actually relax.\nA day trip lets you see new places without spending a fortune on hotels or restaurants. A staycation means you can handle chores around the house while still taking a break from work stress. The point isn\u0026rsquo;t to consume content or chase experiences. It\u0026rsquo;s to unwind, be present with whoever you\u0026rsquo;re with, and maybe knock out some things that need doing anyway. If you come home having saved money and gotten some real rest instead of just scrolling through feeds, that\u0026rsquo;s the win.\nThe Vacation You Need a Vacation From # Social media has turned vacations into a competition. Every trip needs to be bigger, farther, and more photogenic than the last. People come home from a week of flights, rental cars, packed itineraries, and overpriced restaurants more exhausted than when they left, with a credit card bill that follows them for months.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s nothing wrong with a big trip if that\u0026rsquo;s what you want and you can afford it. But it\u0026rsquo;s not the only way to take a break, and it\u0026rsquo;s definitely not the only \u0026ldquo;real\u0026rdquo; vacation. Rest is rest, whether it happens on a beach in Mexico or on your back porch.\nMaking a Staycation Feel Like a Break # The trick with staying home is that home is full of chores, and work is just one email away. A few rules make a big difference:\nSet an out-of-office and mean it. Delete the work apps from your phone for the week if you have to. Pick your chores on purpose. One or two satisfying projects, like finally cleaning out the garage, can feel great. Trying to do everything turns your time off into a second job. Do the things you\u0026rsquo;d do on vacation. Sleep in. Eat out somewhere new. Go to a museum, a ballgame, or a park you\u0026rsquo;ve never been to. Be a tourist in your own town. Most of us have never done the \u0026ldquo;touristy\u0026rdquo; things near home. Check what your local visitors bureau recommends. Plan one or two day trips. A change of scenery helps, and you still get to sleep in your own bed. Midwest Day Trip Ideas # One of the best things about living in the Midwest is how much is within a couple hours\u0026rsquo; drive:\nA Great Lakes beach. There\u0026rsquo;s no ocean here, but the Great Lakes have sandy beaches, dunes, and sunsets that hold their own against any coast. A state park. Every Midwest state has hidden gems, from bluffs and waterfalls to quiet lakes and hiking trails. Orchards and farm stands. Late summer and fall are perfect for apple picking, pumpkin patches, and fresh sweet corn. A small-town festival. Pretty much every weekend in summer, some town is celebrating something, whether it\u0026rsquo;s sweet corn, a historical anniversary, or a local food you\u0026rsquo;ve never heard of. A minor league ballgame. Cheap tickets, good seats, and between-inning entertainment that\u0026rsquo;s half the fun. The Real Goal # At the end of your time off, the question isn\u0026rsquo;t \u0026ldquo;Where did you go?\u0026rdquo; It\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;Do you feel better?\u0026rdquo; If a staycation got you there for a fraction of the cost, that\u0026rsquo;s not settling. That\u0026rsquo;s smart.\n","date":"August 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-08-04-staycation/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"No Shade on the Staycation","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"August 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/staycation/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Staycation","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/decluttering/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Decluttering","type":"tags"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a kind of \u0026ldquo;hoarding\u0026rdquo; that isn\u0026rsquo;t a disaster zone and doesn\u0026rsquo;t look like the houses on the TV show. These houses aren\u0026rsquo;t overflowing. They\u0026rsquo;re simply full. A lot of millennials are finding out that they\u0026rsquo;re inheriting the job of sorting through decades of stuff that has lost its purpose.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a museum of \u0026ldquo;just-in-case\u0026rdquo; items, things that have outlived their use but haven\u0026rsquo;t been let go. It\u0026rsquo;s even worse when someone has been paying monthly for a storage unit to hold the past. It\u0026rsquo;s time to start clearing the way for what comes next. Houses that became warehouses are a terrible burden to receive at the same time you\u0026rsquo;re processing grief.\nHow It Happens # Nobody sets out to fill a house. It happens slowly. The generation that grew up with less learned to save everything, because you never knew when you might need it. Then came decades of cheap goods, bigger houses, and basements, attics, and garages with plenty of room to put things \u0026ldquo;for now.\u0026rdquo;\nThe result is a house full of things that each made sense on their own. The extra set of dishes. Every holiday decoration from the last 40 years. Boxes of paperwork. Tools for projects that are never going to happen. Clothes in sizes nobody has worn since 1997. And because there\u0026rsquo;s still room in the closet, there\u0026rsquo;s never a moment that forces a decision.\nThen one day, the decision gets made for you. Someone has to move into assisted living, or there\u0026rsquo;s a funeral, and the kids have a few weeks to empty a house that took 50 years to fill. On top of the grief, they\u0026rsquo;re making hundreds of small decisions about things they don\u0026rsquo;t have room for and don\u0026rsquo;t have the heart to throw away.\nStart Before You Have To # The Swedes have a name for this: döstädning, or \u0026ldquo;death cleaning,\u0026rdquo; made popular by Margareta Magnusson\u0026rsquo;s book The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning. It sounds grim, but the idea is kind. You go through your own things while you can, keep what matters, and pass along or let go of the rest, so your family doesn\u0026rsquo;t have to.\nYou don\u0026rsquo;t have to do it all at once. A few practical ways to start:\nOne drawer, one shelf, one box at a time. Small wins add up. Start with the easy stuff. Expired food, broken appliances, old cords, and duplicate kitchen tools. No emotional weight there. Ask the family what they want now. You might be saving the china for a kid who doesn\u0026rsquo;t want it. Better to know. Give things away while you can see them used. Grandma\u0026rsquo;s quilt does more good on a grandkid\u0026rsquo;s bed than in a cedar chest. Digitize the paperwork and photos. Scan the photos, label who\u0026rsquo;s in them, and shred the decades-old bank statements. Do the storage unit math. Add up what you\u0026rsquo;ve paid over the years. Often it\u0026rsquo;s more than the contents are worth. Leave Room to Breathe # Less stuff means less to clean, less to maintain, and less to worry about. It also leaves room for the people you love to remember you for who you were, not for the weekend they spent hauling boxes to the curb. The best inheritance isn\u0026rsquo;t a full house. It\u0026rsquo;s an easy one.\n","date":"July 31, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-31-hoarding/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Leave Room to Breathe","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 30, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/battery-tools/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Battery Tools","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 30, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/ego/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"EGO","type":"tags"},{"content":"It\u0026rsquo;s mowing season, and I\u0026rsquo;m celebrating 7 years with my EGO battery-powered mower this year. I\u0026rsquo;m a big fan because it works like a regular lawn mower, but it\u0026rsquo;s quieter (great for listening to podcasts or music), and my clothes don\u0026rsquo;t smell like gasoline after mowing. Speaking of smell, I no longer have to take a gas can to the gas station and risk it tipping over in the trunk, which has happened before.\nOne Battery, Lots of Tools # The EGO mower uses the same battery as the company\u0026rsquo;s other tools. I have the EGO leaf blower and snow blower. The battery that came with the mower can handle my whole yard unless I let the grass get way too tall. In that case, I just put the battery on the charger and go weed whip. By the time I\u0026rsquo;m done with that, the battery has enough juice to finish the job. I picked up another battery with the other tools, so now I can do a quick swap and keep going if I run out.\nThat shared battery system is a bigger deal than it sounds. Once you\u0026rsquo;ve bought into one brand\u0026rsquo;s batteries, every tool after that is cheaper because you can buy the \u0026ldquo;tool only\u0026rdquo; version. It also means the batteries get used year-round. The same pack that mows the lawn in July clears the driveway in January, which is a pretty good deal in a Midwest winter.\nWhat Seven Years Has Taught Me # A few things stand out after this long:\nNo engine maintenance. No oil changes, spark plugs, air filters, or carburetor cleaning. No fuel going stale over the winter and gumming things up in the spring. It starts every time. Push the button, pull the handle, and it\u0026rsquo;s running. No yanking a pull cord ten times on the first mow of the season. It\u0026rsquo;s quiet. Gas mowers are loud enough that you need hearing protection. With the battery mower, you can mow early on a Saturday without being \u0026ldquo;that neighbor.\u0026rdquo; It folds up. It stores standing up in the garage, which frees up a lot of floor space. Tips for Battery Mowers # If you\u0026rsquo;re considering the switch, here are a few things that help a battery mower last:\nBring the batteries inside in winter if you don\u0026rsquo;t use them for snow. Extreme cold and heat are hard on lithium-ion batteries. Store them somewhere cool and dry, not in a freezing or sweltering garage. Keep the blade sharp. A sharp blade cuts cleaner and uses less power, which means more run time per charge. Sharpen it once a season or so. Mow before it gets too tall. Tall, thick, or wet grass drains a battery much faster. Mowing a little more often is easier on the battery and better for the lawn. Mulch the clippings. Leaving clippings on the lawn returns nutrients to the soil and means no bagging. Would I Buy It Again? # Yes. Seven years in, it still does the job, it\u0026rsquo;s cheaper to run than gas, and I don\u0026rsquo;t miss the smell, the noise, or the trips to fill a gas can. If your old gas mower is on its last legs, a battery mower is worth a serious look.\n#CommissionsEarned\n","date":"July 30, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-30-ego-mower/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"EGO POWER+ Lawn Mower: Seven Years In","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 30, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/lawn-care/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Lawn Care","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/legacy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Legacy","type":"tags"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a shift that happens once you hit a certain age. The \u0026ldquo;me\u0026rdquo; starts to get a bit quieter, and the \u0026ldquo;them\u0026rdquo; gets a lot louder. You realize that life is a long-game investment. It\u0026rsquo;s not just about what you can check off your own list today; it\u0026rsquo;s about making sure the path is clear for the people coming up behind you.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the real work. It\u0026rsquo;s about the steady, everyday choices: the way you handle your money, the way you treat your neighbors, and the way you teach your kids to think for themselves. You\u0026rsquo;re planting trees whose shade you might never sit in. A legacy isn\u0026rsquo;t a name on a building; it\u0026rsquo;s a foundation of competence and kindness that gives the next generation the tools they need to handle their own \u0026ldquo;dirt.\u0026rdquo; When you set them up for success, you\u0026rsquo;re doing the most practical thing a person can do.\nThe Campsite Rule # A lot of us learned some version of this as kids: leave the campsite better than you found it. Pick up your trash, and maybe pick up a little of someone else\u0026rsquo;s too. It\u0026rsquo;s a simple rule, but it works for a lot more than camping.\nIt works for a house. Fix what\u0026rsquo;s broken instead of passing it on. It works for a job. Train the new person well, write down how things work, and don\u0026rsquo;t hoard what you know. It works for a town. Show up, vote, volunteer, and support the businesses and schools that keep it going. And it works for the planet we\u0026rsquo;re all going to hand down.\nWhat It Looks Like in Practice # Making life better for the next generation doesn\u0026rsquo;t require a fortune or a foundation. It mostly looks like ordinary stuff done consistently:\nTeach practical skills. How to change a tire, cook a meal, budget a paycheck, fix a running toilet, and read a contract. These are the skills that save people money and stress for the rest of their lives. Model good money habits. Kids learn more from what you do than what you say. Saving, avoiding debt, and living within your means are lessons they\u0026rsquo;ll carry. Pass along knowledge, not just stuff. The family recipes, the stories, how Grandpa fixed that old truck. Write them down. Mentor someone. A young coworker, a neighbor\u0026rsquo;s kid, someone in a trade or club you belong to. A little bit of your time can change someone\u0026rsquo;s direction. Take care of shared things. Parks, libraries, schools, clean water, and fair rules are inheritances too. Leave less of a mess. Use less, waste less, and fix things instead of tossing them. When Greed Gets in the Way # If your greed stands in the way of leaving things better than you found them, it\u0026rsquo;s not just your own kids you\u0026rsquo;re failing; you\u0026rsquo;re burdening the whole next generation.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the part that bothers me most about a lot of what\u0026rsquo;s going on in the world. Decisions get made for this quarter\u0026rsquo;s profits or the next election, and the costs get pushed down the road for someone else to pay. Pollution that someone else will have to clean up. Debts that someone else will have to cover. Systems that work fine for the people at the top and leave everyone else with less. That\u0026rsquo;s the opposite of planting trees. That\u0026rsquo;s cutting them down and selling the lumber.\nThe Long Game # None of us will see the full results of what we do. That\u0026rsquo;s kind of the point. The people who built the parks, libraries, and roads we use today mostly didn\u0026rsquo;t get to enjoy them for long. They built them anyway. The best thing we can do is the same: work hard, be fair, teach well, and leave a little more shade than we found.\n","date":"July 29, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-29-better-next-gen/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Our Goal Should Be to Make Life Better for the Next Generation","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/consumer-advice/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Consumer Advice","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/monopolies/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Monopolies","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/private-equity/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Private Equity","type":"tags"},{"content":"There\u0026rsquo;s a simple math to business. In a small shop, it\u0026rsquo;s just you, the customer, and the product. You provide a service, they get a result, and you keep a profit. It\u0026rsquo;s honest. When a business gets bigger, it adds employees. The customer gets better service, the owner gets a larger profit, and the workers get a paycheck. That\u0026rsquo;s a fair trade for everyone.\nBut once you add shareholders, the math changes. Now the owner has to pay a \u0026ldquo;royalty\u0026rdquo; to people who didn\u0026rsquo;t do the work but want a piece of the pie. That payback usually comes out of the customer\u0026rsquo;s wallet and the employee\u0026rsquo;s paycheck.\nThen Private Equity Shows Up # When private equity enters the mix, the goal changes again. They aren\u0026rsquo;t looking to build something; they\u0026rsquo;re looking to strip it down and sell the pieces for a quick profit. At that point, the customer and the employee are just squeezed until the company is nothing more than a shell of what it used to be.\nThe typical playbook is a leveraged buyout. A private equity firm buys a company mostly with borrowed money, and then that debt gets put on the company it just bought. The business now has to make big loan payments that it never had before. To cover them, the new owners cut staff, cut quality, sell off real estate and lease it back, and raise prices. The firm collects management fees along the way. If the company survives, it gets sold a few years later. If it doesn\u0026rsquo;t, the debt goes down with it, and the workers are the ones who lose their jobs.\nYou\u0026rsquo;ve probably seen it without knowing it. Toys \u0026ldquo;R\u0026rdquo; Us went bankrupt in 2017 while carrying billions in debt from its 2005 leveraged buyout. Private equity has also been buying up veterinary clinics, nursing homes, physician practices, and even local plumbing and HVAC companies. The sign out front stays the same, so most people don\u0026rsquo;t notice until the service gets worse and the bill gets bigger.\nMonopolies: One Price and No Choice # Monopolies are great because they give you one price and no choice!\nWhen a handful of companies own most of what we buy, it\u0026rsquo;s not just about prices going up. It\u0026rsquo;s about choices disappearing entirely. Three local stores consolidating means one price, one brand, and one stock of inventory. I can\u0026rsquo;t compare anymore, and I just have to accept whatever they charge. Nationally, it affects even more people.\nConsolidation doesn\u0026rsquo;t help anyone except the business owners and shareholders. One company making four different brands of frozen pizza, fewer and fewer movie studios and streaming services, and everything falling under one megacorp umbrella or another puts us at their mercy. We end up paying more without getting better service or innovation.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s like trying to find a needle in a haystack, but the haystack is owned by the same person who made the needle. It\u0026rsquo;s good for their business but bad for consumers.\nWhat a Regular Person Can Do # You can\u0026rsquo;t personally break up a monopoly, but you\u0026rsquo;re not powerless either:\nShop local when you can. A family-owned hardware store or diner keeps the money in town and keeps at least one more choice on the map. Ask who owns it. When your vet, dentist, or doctor\u0026rsquo;s office \u0026ldquo;joins a network,\u0026rdquo; it\u0026rsquo;s fair to ask who bought it. Pay attention to mergers. The FTC and state attorneys general often take public comments on big mergers, and they do read them. Support competition. Even when the big option is a little cheaper today, keeping the small one alive keeps prices honest tomorrow. Business works best when the math is simple: good product, fair price, fair wage. Every layer added on top of that wants its cut, and it\u0026rsquo;s never the people at the top who pay for it.\n","date":"July 28, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-28-private-equity/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Private Equity and Monopolies: The Fast Track to Getting Less","type":"posts"},{"content":"With digital media, are you buying something or just borrowing it until the store changes its mind? We\u0026rsquo;ve landed in a world where we don\u0026rsquo;t own our music, our movies, or our books. If they can take it away with a click, it wasn\u0026rsquo;t yours to begin with.\nYou used to be able to assume your only threat of loss was the company going out of business. Now they can take it back because they changed their mind or didn\u0026rsquo;t want to renegotiate a license. They don\u0026rsquo;t want to play anymore. They\u0026rsquo;re taking their ball and going home.\nRead the Fine Print # When you click \u0026ldquo;Buy\u0026rdquo; on a digital movie, e-book, or video game, what you\u0026rsquo;re usually getting is a license to access it under the store\u0026rsquo;s terms of service. Those terms almost always let the company change or remove content. The button says \u0026ldquo;Buy,\u0026rdquo; but the contract says \u0026ldquo;rent until further notice.\u0026rdquo;\nThis isn\u0026rsquo;t hypothetical. It\u0026rsquo;s happened over and over:\nIn 2009, Amazon remotely deleted copies of George Orwell\u0026rsquo;s 1984 and Animal Farm from customers\u0026rsquo; Kindles because of a rights issue with the publisher. The irony of it being 1984 wasn\u0026rsquo;t lost on anyone. In 2023, Sony announced it would remove Discovery TV shows that PlayStation customers had already paid for, because a licensing deal was ending. After public backlash, Sony reversed course, but it showed what the terms allow. In 2024, Ubisoft shut down the servers for the racing game The Crew, and since the game required an online connection, people who had bought it could no longer play it at all. Each case is a reminder that a digital purchase is only as permanent as the company\u0026rsquo;s next business decision.\nLawmakers Are Starting to Notice # California passed a law that took effect in 2025 requiring digital storefronts to make it clear when a \u0026ldquo;purchase\u0026rdquo; is really just a license, and to avoid using words like \u0026ldquo;buy\u0026rdquo; unless they disclose that. It\u0026rsquo;s a small step, but at least the label has to match what\u0026rsquo;s in the box. The bigger fight over digital ownership, including whether you should be able to resell or lend what you buy digitally, is still going on.\nHow to Protect Yourself # You don\u0026rsquo;t have to give up digital media entirely, but it\u0026rsquo;s worth being intentional:\nBuy physical for the things you care about. A Blu-ray, a vinyl record, a paperback, or a game disc still works without anyone\u0026rsquo;s permission. Use your library. Libraries lend e-books and audiobooks through apps like Libby and Hoopla. If you\u0026rsquo;re only going to read it once, borrowing is honest about what\u0026rsquo;s happening. Look for DRM-free options. Some stores sell music, e-books, and games without digital rights management, so you can download and keep a copy. Download what you can. If a service lets you download a copy, do it and back it up. Don\u0026rsquo;t overpay for a license. If a digital \u0026ldquo;purchase\u0026rdquo; costs nearly the same as the physical version, the physical version is usually the better deal. Owning things used to be simple. You paid for it, you took it home, and it was yours. It\u0026rsquo;s worth remembering that every time you see a \u0026ldquo;Buy Now\u0026rdquo; button.\n#DRM\n","date":"July 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-27-digital-purchases/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Digital Borrowing: You Don't Own What You Bought","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/digital-ownership/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Digital Ownership","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 27, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/drm/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"DRM","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/critical-thinking/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Critical Thinking","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/diy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"DIY","type":"tags"},{"content":"He who speaks loudest at the hardware store usually knows the least. There\u0026rsquo;s a certain kind of confidence that comes from having a lot of opinions and very little experience. Real knowledge doesn\u0026rsquo;t need to shout; it just shows up in the tools you keep on hand, the work you do, and the helping hand you give.\nYou\u0026rsquo;ve met this guy. He\u0026rsquo;s in the plumbing aisle explaining to a stranger exactly how to fix their water heater, even though he\u0026rsquo;s never touched one. He\u0026rsquo;s at the family barbecue telling everyone how the economy works. He\u0026rsquo;s in the comment section of every video about a topic he learned about ten minutes ago. He\u0026rsquo;s never wrong, because he\u0026rsquo;s never actually tried it.\nThere\u0026rsquo;s a Name for It # Psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger published a study in 1999 that gave this a name: the Dunning-Kruger effect. In their experiments, the people who performed worst on tests of things like logic and grammar tended to overestimate how well they did by the widest margin. The skills you need to be good at something are often the same skills you need to recognize that you\u0026rsquo;re not good at it yet.\nThe flip side is just as interesting. People who really know a subject tend to be more aware of what they don\u0026rsquo;t know. Ask an experienced electrician a question, and you\u0026rsquo;re likely to hear \u0026ldquo;It depends\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;d have to see it.\u0026rdquo; That\u0026rsquo;s not a lack of confidence. That\u0026rsquo;s experience talking. They\u0026rsquo;ve seen enough jobs go sideways to know that every house is a little different.\nHow to Spot the Real Thing # Over the years, I\u0026rsquo;ve found a few signs that separate the people worth listening to from the people who just like to talk:\nThey ask questions before giving answers. Experienced people want to understand the problem first. They talk about mistakes. Anybody who has done real work has messed something up and learned from it. If someone\u0026rsquo;s never been wrong, they probably haven\u0026rsquo;t done much. They\u0026rsquo;re comfortable saying \u0026ldquo;I don\u0026rsquo;t know.\u0026rdquo; And then they usually tell you who would know. Their tools are worn. Not shiny and new, not in the original packaging. Used. They help instead of lecture. They\u0026rsquo;d rather show you how to do it than tell you how smart they are. Keeping Yourself Honest # The tricky part is that all of us are the loud guy about something. It\u0026rsquo;s easy to have strong opinions on things we\u0026rsquo;ve only read about. The fix is pretty simple: do the thing. Fix the leaky faucet yourself. Plant the garden. Volunteer for the job you\u0026rsquo;ve been critiquing from the sidelines. Experience has a way of sanding the rough edges off our opinions, and it usually makes us a little kinder about how hard things actually are.\nHave opinions. Just earn them. The best advice I\u0026rsquo;ve ever gotten came from people who had more calluses than comments.\n","date":"July 24, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-24-more-opinions-than-experience/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"The Confidence of Having More Opinions Than Experience","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/container-gardening/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Container Gardening","type":"tags"},{"content":"Container plants have it rough in a Midwest summer. A pot on a sunny patio can go from soaked to bone-dry in a single afternoon, and once a heat wave settles in, watering once a day often isn\u0026rsquo;t enough. I use two tools to keep up: terracotta watering spikes for slow, steady watering, and a good watering can for everything the spikes can\u0026rsquo;t handle.\nTerracotta Watering Spikes # Use these terracotta watering spikes with a bottle, and they will keep your plants watered throughout the day to help them survive the heat wave. They are also great to have while you\u0026rsquo;re on vacation!\nThe idea is old. Gardeners have buried unglazed clay pots called ollas next to plants for centuries. Terracotta is porous, so water seeps slowly through the clay into the soil around it. When the soil is dry, it pulls water out faster. When the soil is already moist, it slows down. It\u0026rsquo;s a self-regulating system with no timers, batteries, or tubing.\nUnlike watering with a can, these spikes allow a slow and steady release in response to the soil around them. This keeps the soil moist so the plants can absorb water gradually throughout the day. By providing a continuous supply rather than a single, heavy dose, the moisture reaches the roots and keeps them hydrated and resilient against the drying effects of the heat. When you pull the spikes out at the end of the season, you\u0026rsquo;ll see the roots found their way to the spike and grew toward the water, right around it. For me, this saved my plants when they were drying out too quickly in a garden table.\nA few tips:\nSoak the spike in water before you push it into the soil so it starts wicking right away. Use a bottle that fits your plant. A small water bottle works for a small pot. A two-liter bottle buys you more time for a big planter or a long weekend away. Fill the bottle all the way and turn it over quickly so the water doesn\u0026rsquo;t drain out all at once. Check it the first few days. Every pot, soil mix, and spot in the sun drinks at a different rate. The Perfect Watering Can # The watering spikes are better for plants, but not every plant or container works with a spike. Seedlings, shallow trays, hanging baskets, and anything that needs a quick drink still call for a watering can.\nI didn\u0026rsquo;t know that we could improve on the watering can. They all seemed to have the same annoying traits, like being made of weak plastic and having the handle block the fill hole. Then I came across the Chapin watering can and I changed my mind. It\u0026rsquo;s made out of recycled plastic with thick, strong walls. They also put the fill hole on the back side, where it\u0026rsquo;s not blocked by the handle! Everything else just works like a proper watering can should.\nBeing able to fill it under the spigot or rain barrel without tilting it sideways is one of those small things you don\u0026rsquo;t appreciate until you\u0026rsquo;ve used it. It also doesn\u0026rsquo;t flex and slosh when it\u0026rsquo;s full like the cheap ones do.\nUsing Them Together # My routine is simple. The spikes do the everyday work on the pots that dry out fastest, and I go around with the can to top off everything else and refill the bottles. Between the two, my container garden makes it through July without me standing outside with a hose twice a day.\n#CommissionsEarned\n","date":"July 23, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-23-watering-spikes/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Terracotta Watering Spikes and the Perfect Watering Can","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cybertruck/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cybertruck","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/road-trip-games/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Road Trip Games","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/tesla/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Tesla","type":"tags"},{"content":"The modern \u0026ldquo;Slug Bug,\u0026rdquo; where you would punch a passenger when you saw a VW Beetle, is \u0026ldquo;Thumbs Down a Tesla Cybertruck.\u0026rdquo; An ugly vehicle deserves an ugly gesture. Not as ugly as the gesture Elon threw up, but maybe he was just heiling a Tesla Taxi.\nThe Rules # Slug Bug was simple. You saw a Volkswagen Beetle, you yelled \u0026ldquo;Slug Bug!\u0026rdquo; and punched the nearest sibling in the arm. Some families added a \u0026ldquo;no punch-backs\u0026rdquo; rule. Others added colors for extra points. Every long car trip in the \u0026rsquo;90s had at least one bruise from it.\nThumbs Down a Tesla Cybertruck is the gentler, updated version:\nSpot a Cybertruck, give it a thumbs down. No punching required. First one to call it gets the point. Bonus point if it\u0026rsquo;s one of those with a vinyl wrap, because the owner already knew the stainless steel wasn\u0026rsquo;t working. Double bonus if you spot one on the back of a tow truck. It\u0026rsquo;s a great game for road trips. You don\u0026rsquo;t see many Cybertrucks out on rural Midwest highways, so the points are hard-earned. Get near a big city and the scores start climbing.\nWhy the Cybertruck? # I drive an EV, and I\u0026rsquo;ve had one since 2023. I\u0026rsquo;m not anti-electric, and I\u0026rsquo;m not anti-truck. But the Cybertruck has become a rolling symbol of hype over practicality.\nIt was unveiled in 2019 with the famous \u0026ldquo;unbreakable\u0026rdquo; armor glass demo where the window broke on stage. Deliveries didn\u0026rsquo;t start until late 2023, years behind schedule and at a much higher price than first promised. Since then, it\u0026rsquo;s had a long list of recalls. In 2024, Tesla recalled nearly 3,900 trucks because the accelerator pedal pad could come loose and get stuck under the trim. In 2025, it recalled more than 46,000, nearly all of the ones on the road at the time, because a stainless-steel exterior panel held on with adhesive could come off while driving (Boston Globe). There have been others too, for things like the windshield wiper and the drive inverter.\nA truck is supposed to be the most practical thing in the driveway. You haul stuff with it, you tow with it, and it lasts. When the exterior panels need a recall to stay attached, that\u0026rsquo;s not a truck. That\u0026rsquo;s a sculpture with a payment plan.\nA Little Friendly Advice # If you\u0026rsquo;re shopping for an electric truck, you have options now. Ford, Chevy, Rivian, and others all make electric pickups that look like trucks and act like trucks. Test-drive a few, look at real-world winter range, and check what charging is available along the routes you actually drive.\nAnd if you already own a Cybertruck, no hard feelings. Just know that every thumbs down you get on the highway is all in good fun. Mostly.\n","date":"July 22, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-22-tesla-cyber-truck/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Thumbs Down a Tesla Cybertruck: The New Slug Bug","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 20, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/air-quality/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Air Quality","type":"tags"},{"content":"I remember being a kid when the only time the news talked about \u0026ldquo;bad air\u0026rdquo; was when they showed smog in Los Angeles. It felt like a far-off problem for big-city people. Now I\u0026rsquo;m an adult, and I\u0026rsquo;m living through another summer where the sky turns orange above me because of a fire hundreds of miles away in Canada.\nIt\u0026rsquo;s a bit of a head-scratcher that we\u0026rsquo;ve just shrugged our shoulders and accepted this as the \u0026ldquo;new normal.\u0026rdquo; We shouldn\u0026rsquo;t have to get used to the air being unbreathable just because it\u0026rsquo;s convenient for us to look the other way.\nHow Smoke From Canada Ends Up Here # Canada has always had wildfires, but recent seasons have been on a different scale. The 2023 season was the worst on record, burning roughly 45 million acres, an area bigger than the state of Illinois. 2025 was one of the worst on record, too. Hotter, drier conditions and longer fire seasons mean more fuel burns for longer.\nWhen those fires get big enough, the smoke rises high into the atmosphere, and the wind carries it south. The Midwest sits right in the path. On the worst days, cities like Chicago, Detroit, and Minneapolis have had some of the worst air quality in the world, which isn\u0026rsquo;t a list you want the Midwest to top.\nThe danger is the fine particles in the smoke, called PM2.5. They\u0026rsquo;re small enough to get deep into your lungs and even into your bloodstream. They\u0026rsquo;re especially hard on kids, older adults, pregnant people, and anyone with asthma, COPD, or heart disease. But on a bad enough day, everybody feels it.\nCheck the Air Like You Check the Weather # The Air Quality Index (AQI) is the number to watch. It runs from 0 to 500:\n0 to 50 (Green): Good. Enjoy the outdoors. 51 to 100 (Yellow): Moderate. Most people are fine. 101 to 150 (Orange): Unhealthy for sensitive groups. 151 to 200 (Red): Unhealthy for everyone. Limit time outside. 201 and up (Purple and Maroon): Very unhealthy to hazardous. Stay inside if you can. You can check your local AQI on AirNow.gov, and most weather apps show it now too.\nPractical Steps for Smoky Days # Close the windows and run the air conditioner on recirculate. Upgrade your furnace filter. A MERV 13 filter catches far more fine particles than a cheap one. Check that your system can handle it. Run a portable HEPA air purifier in the room where you sleep. Build a box fan filter. Taping a MERV 13 furnace filter to the back of a box fan is a cheap, surprisingly effective DIY air cleaner. Search for \u0026ldquo;Corsi-Rosenthal box\u0026rdquo; for instructions. Skip the hard workout outside. Heavy breathing pulls more smoke into your lungs. Use an N95 if you have to be out. A cloth mask or surgical mask doesn\u0026rsquo;t stop the fine particles. These are good habits, but they\u0026rsquo;re coping strategies, not solutions. The real fix is taking the conditions that make these fire seasons worse as seriously as we take a tornado warning. Until then, keep an eye on that AQI and a good filter in the furnace.\n","date":"July 20, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-20-canadian-wildfires/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Another Summer, Another Canadian Wildfire Ruining the Air Quality","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 20, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/wildfires/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Wildfires","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/cyclospora/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Cyclospora","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/food-safety/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Food Safety","type":"tags"},{"content":"Nothing says \u0026ldquo;healthy lifestyle\u0026rdquo; quite like getting sick from vegetables. It\u0026rsquo;s an irony of the modern age, although technically, eating this lettuce can lead to significant weight loss despite how little you\u0026rsquo;ll be moving (from the toilet).\nIt\u0026rsquo;s become a summer tradition nobody asked for. Every year around the Fourth of July, the headlines start: another multistate outbreak, another produce recall, and another round of people who did the \u0026ldquo;right\u0026rdquo; thing by eating a salad and ended up regretting it. This summer, the CDC has been tracking a multistate Cyclospora outbreak, with shredded iceberg lettuce recalled along the way (Vegetable Growers News, CIDRAP).\nWhat Is Cyclospora? # Cyclospora cayetanensis is a microscopic parasite. People get sick by eating food or drinking water contaminated with it, and the illness it causes is called cyclosporiasis. It doesn\u0026rsquo;t spread directly from person to person, because the parasite has to spend time in the environment before it becomes infectious.\nCases in the U.S. spike from about May through August, when we\u0026rsquo;re eating more fresh produce. Past outbreaks have been linked to cilantro, basil, raspberries, bagged salad mixes, and leafy greens. In other words, the exact foods everyone tells you to eat more of.\nThe Symptoms # Symptoms usually start about a week after eating something contaminated, though it can be anywhere from two days to two weeks. That delay is part of why outbreaks are so hard to trace. Nobody remembers what was in their salad nine days ago.\nThe main symptom is frequent, watery diarrhea. It can also come with:\nLoss of appetite and weight loss Stomach cramps and bloating Nausea Fatigue Without treatment, it can last from a few days to over a month, and symptoms can go away and come back. The good news is that it\u0026rsquo;s treatable with prescription antibiotics, so if you\u0026rsquo;ve got these symptoms and they\u0026rsquo;re not letting up, call your doctor and mention you\u0026rsquo;re worried about Cyclospora. It takes a specific test to find it.\nWhat You Can Do # The frustrating part is that Cyclospora is tough to wash off. The CDC still recommends thoroughly washing fresh fruits and vegetables under running water before eating, cutting, or cooking them, but it notes that washing may not remove all of the parasite. Cooking kills it, which doesn\u0026rsquo;t help much when the whole point is a salad.\nThe practical steps are pretty simple:\nWash produce anyway. It reduces risk from Cyclospora and removes other germs and dirt. Pay attention to recalls. When a recall hits, check your fridge for the brand and lot numbers, including bagged salads and pre-cut produce. Grow some of your own. A few pots of lettuce, herbs, and greens on the patio is the closest thing to \u0026ldquo;knowing the dirt\u0026rdquo; your food grew in. Buy local when you can. Shorter supply chains mean fewer hands and fewer chances for contamination, and it\u0026rsquo;s easier to ask the farmer how it was grown. I\u0026rsquo;m not going to stop eating salads. But it\u0026rsquo;s hard not to laugh (nervously) at the idea that the healthiest item on the menu is the one most likely to keep you home from work.\n#cyclosporiasis\n","date":"July 19, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-19-greens-make-you-green/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Greens Make You Green: Another Summer of Cyclospora","type":"posts"},{"content":"The Midwest is a vast and diverse region in the northern central United States, often referred to as the \u0026ldquo;Heartland.\u0026rdquo; It is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as comprising 12 states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Geographically, it lies between the Northeastern and Western United States, characterized by a landscape of low, flat to rolling terrain, including the fertile Interior Plains and the Great Plains.\nThe region is renowned for its agricultural prowess, serving as the nation\u0026rsquo;s \u0026ldquo;breadbasket.\u0026rdquo; It contains the famous Corn Belt, where corn and soybeans are primary crops, and is a leading producer of wheat, pork, and dairy products—including the world-famous Wisconsin cheese. Beyond its farming roots, the Midwest is a hub of industrial and economic power. It is home to major metropolitan areas like Chicago, the nation\u0026rsquo;s third-largest metropolitan area and a global financial center; Detroit, the historic \u0026ldquo;Motor City\u0026rdquo; and automotive capital; and St. Louis, home to the iconic Gateway Arch.\nCulturally, the Midwest is often associated with a \u0026ldquo;get it done\u0026rdquo; attitude, common sense, and a strong work ethic. It has a rich history of immigration, particularly from German and Scandinavian countries, which has left a lasting mark on its local traditions, architecture, and cuisine. The region is also a significant cultural contributor to American music, being the birthplace of Motown in Detroit and a major center for jazz, blues, and country music. From the snowy winters of the north to the vast prairies of the west, the Midwest offers a unique blend of rural charm and urban innovation.\nWe call it home!\nFor more information, you can visit the Wikipedia page on the Midwestern United States.\n","date":"July 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/the-midwest/","section":"Pages","summary":"","title":"The Midwest","type":"pages"},{"content":"","date":"July 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/solar/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Solar","type":"tags"},{"content":"Having solar panels is like growing your own tomatoes. You know the dirt, you\u0026rsquo;re not paying a middleman to put a sticker on it, and harvesting gives you a sense of accomplishment. There\u0026rsquo;s nothing quite like the feeling of knowing your house is running on clean energy at a fixed price instead of someone else\u0026rsquo;s profit margin.\nI\u0026rsquo;ve had rooftop solar on my house since 2022, and the tomato comparison has held up. Some days the harvest is huge. Some days it\u0026rsquo;s cloudy and you get almost nothing. Over a full year, though, it adds up, and you stop thinking of electricity as something that just shows up from somewhere and starts thinking of it as something your own roof makes.\nYes, Solar Works in the Midwest # The most common question about solar around here is some version of \u0026ldquo;Does that even work in the Midwest?\u0026rdquo; It does. Germany, which gets less sun than most of the Midwest, has been a world leader in solar for years. Panels don\u0026rsquo;t need heat; they need light. In fact, solar panels are a little more efficient when it\u0026rsquo;s cool out, so a bright, crisp spring day can be a great production day.\nThe tradeoffs are real, too. Production in December is a fraction of what it is in June, because the days are short and the sun is low. Snow on the panels means zero until it slides off, which usually happens faster than you\u0026rsquo;d expect since the dark panels warm up in the sun. Those are the seasons. Your garden doesn\u0026rsquo;t produce in January either.\nThe Fixed-Price Part # The thing I appreciate most is the price stability. Once the system is paid for, the sunlight is free. Utility rates go up. Supply charges change. Capacity charges show up on the bill with names nobody understands. The power coming off the roof doesn\u0026rsquo;t care about any of that.\nThat doesn\u0026rsquo;t mean your electric bill goes to zero. Depending on your utility and the rules in your state, you\u0026rsquo;ll likely still pay connection fees and delivery charges, and you\u0026rsquo;ll still buy power from the grid at night and on cloudy days. How much you\u0026rsquo;re credited for the extra power you send back to the grid, called net metering, also varies a lot by state and has been changing. In Illinois, for example, the rules for new customers changed in 2025.\nIf You\u0026rsquo;re Thinking About It # A few honest pieces of advice for anyone considering solar:\nStart with efficiency. The cheapest kilowatt-hour is the one you don\u0026rsquo;t use. Fix the drafts, upgrade the insulation, and switch to LEDs first, so you don\u0026rsquo;t have to buy as big a system. Check your roof. If your shingles need replacing in the next few years, do that first. Taking panels off and putting them back on is expensive. Get multiple quotes. Prices and equipment vary a lot between installers. Ask about warranties on the panels, the inverter, and the installation work itself. Understand the incentives. The 30% federal residential tax credit ended for systems installed after 2025, but state programs, like Illinois Shines, and utility rebates may still help. Rules change, so verify what\u0026rsquo;s available before signing. Be careful with leases and door-to-door sales. Owning the system usually makes the most sense if you can. Read every line of a lease or power purchase agreement before you sign. Know the Dirt # Growing your own food teaches you how much work goes into it and how much you were taking for granted. Solar does the same thing for electricity. You start noticing when the dryer runs and how much the air conditioner pulls on a hot afternoon. That awareness alone makes you use less. And on a sunny day, when the meter is spinning the right direction, it\u0026rsquo;s just plain fun.\n","date":"July 15, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-15-homegrown-solar/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Solar, Good Clean Fun!","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 12, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/backyard/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Backyard","type":"tags"},{"content":"Squirrels are just rats with better PR. The fluffy tail is working overtime. They\u0026rsquo;re still rodents, and they will destroy your garden because they can\u0026rsquo;t remember if they planted an acorn under your recently germinated vegetables.\nThink about it. If a gray rodent with a skinny tail ran across your patio, people would be calling an exterminator. Give the same animal a bushy tail and an acorn, and suddenly it\u0026rsquo;s on greeting cards and in kids\u0026rsquo; books. Both squirrels and rats belong to the same order, Rodentia. One of them just has a better stylist.\nWhat They\u0026rsquo;re Actually Doing in Your Garden # To be fair to the squirrels (a little), the digging isn\u0026rsquo;t random. Gray and fox squirrels, the ones that run most Midwest backyards, are what biologists call scatter hoarders. Instead of keeping one big pantry, they bury food one nut at a time in hundreds or even thousands of spots across their territory. That way, if another animal finds one stash, they don\u0026rsquo;t lose everything.\nTheir memory is actually better than the joke gives them credit for. Squirrels use landmarks and their sense of smell to find a lot of what they bury. But they don\u0026rsquo;t recover all of it, and the nuts they leave behind are how a lot of oak and walnut trees get planted. So the squirrel is a decent forester. It\u0026rsquo;s just a terrible neighbor.\nThe problem for gardeners is that freshly turned soil is exactly what a squirrel is looking for. It\u0026rsquo;s soft, it\u0026rsquo;s easy to dig, and it smells interesting. That\u0026rsquo;s why your newly planted bed or fresh pot of seedlings gets torn up overnight while the hard, packed lawn next to it doesn\u0026rsquo;t. They\u0026rsquo;re either burying something in your nice soft dirt or digging up something they think another squirrel buried there.\nDefending the Garden # You\u0026rsquo;re not going to win the war, but you can win a few battles:\nCover new plantings. A piece of chicken wire or hardware cloth laid flat over the soil lets seedlings grow through but stops digging. Remove it once the plants are established. Cage what matters most. Tomatoes, strawberries, and tulip bulbs are squirrel favorites. A simple wire cage over the plant is the most reliable fix. Mulch the bare spots. Squirrels are drawn to exposed, freshly turned dirt. A layer of mulch or a few rocks around the base of plants makes it less tempting. Move the bird feeder. If you\u0026rsquo;ve got a feeder dropping seed all over the yard, you\u0026rsquo;re running a squirrel buffet next to your vegetable garden. Try a deterrent. Some people swear by cayenne pepper or other hot pepper products sprinkled on the soil. Results vary, and it washes off in the rain, but it\u0026rsquo;s cheap to try. A Grudging Respect # I\u0026rsquo;ll admit it: a squirrel that\u0026rsquo;s figured out your \u0026ldquo;squirrel-proof\u0026rdquo; bird feeder is impressive. They\u0026rsquo;re persistent, clever, and fearless, which are all good qualities in anything other than a pest. Just don\u0026rsquo;t let the fluffy tail fool you. Under all that good PR is a rodent with a shovel and no respect for your tomato plants.\n","date":"July 12, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-12-squirrels/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Squirrels: Rats With Better PR","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/email/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Email","type":"tags"},{"content":"I went 40 years of my life without ever buying something from your website. Now I bought one thing, and it will probably be another 40 years before I need something else. That does not mean I want to receive two emails a day from you for the rest of my life.\nSomewhere along the way, every business decided that a single purchase is a lifelong relationship. Buy a replacement part for a lawn mower and you\u0026rsquo;re suddenly on a mailing list for \u0026ldquo;Weekend Deals!\u0026rdquo; on lawn mower parts you don\u0026rsquo;t need. The box for \u0026ldquo;send me offers\u0026rdquo; was already checked, buried somewhere between the shipping address and the payment page.\nEven the Good Guys Do It # I found your nonprofit all by myself and donated because I agreed with your cause. I didn\u0026rsquo;t intend for you to spend my donation on envelopes and stamps asking me for more money. I\u0026rsquo;ve already got kids doing that.\nThis one stings more than the store emails because the money was supposed to go to the cause. Instead, a chunk of it comes right back to my mailbox as address labels, calendars, a \u0026ldquo;free gift\u0026rdquo; nickel taped to a letter, and an urgent appeal that looks exactly like the urgent appeal from last month. Some organizations also share or trade their donor lists, so one donation turns into mail from groups I\u0026rsquo;ve never heard of.\nI found you once, and I\u0026rsquo;ll find you again when I\u0026rsquo;m ready to donate. Until then, go fight the good fight and stop adding to my mail pile! If you want to give without ending up on every list, many charities let you check a box to opt out of mailings and list sharing, or you can call and ask. Charity evaluators like Charity Navigator also show how much of an organization\u0026rsquo;s budget goes to fundraising versus the actual work.\nAsk Your Doctor Today! # Then there\u0026rsquo;s TV. I\u0026rsquo;ve never asked a doctor for a medication I heard about on TV, and I don\u0026rsquo;t intend to start now, no matter how happy those people look riding bikes and having picnics while the narrator lists side effects at double speed. Pecalotsofsyllablesipro!\nThe United States is one of only two countries in the world, along with New Zealand, that allows prescription drugs to be advertised directly to consumers. That\u0026rsquo;s why the commercial break during the evening news feels like a pharmacy catalog. Your doctor went to school for this. If you need a medication, they\u0026rsquo;ll bring it up. Walking in with a brand name you heard during a football game is letting the ad agency practice medicine.\nCutting Down the Noise # You can\u0026rsquo;t stop all of it, but you can cut it way down:\nActually click \u0026ldquo;unsubscribe\u0026rdquo; on legitimate store emails instead of just deleting them. Under the CAN-SPAM Act, businesses are required to honor opt-out requests. Uncheck the marketing box at checkout, every time. It\u0026rsquo;s almost always pre-checked. Use a separate email address for shopping so your real inbox stays for real people. Opt out of prescreened credit card offers at OptOutPrescreen.com, the official site run by the credit bureaus. Tell charities how you want to hear from them. Most will honor a request for once a year, or for no mail at all. I\u0026rsquo;m not against businesses or charities making their case. I\u0026rsquo;m against being treated like a wallet with a mailbox attached. If you want my business again, do a good job the first time. I\u0026rsquo;ll remember.\n","date":"July 11, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-11-unsubscribe/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Unsubscribe: I Bought One Thing, Not a Lifetime of Emails","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/indoor-air-quality/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Indoor Air Quality","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/kitchen/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Kitchen","type":"tags"},{"content":"We need to stop calling recirculating fans \u0026ldquo;vents.\u0026rdquo; A fan above your stove that moves smoke from under your microwave to above your microwave is just a noisy \u0026ldquo;forehead greaser.\u0026rdquo; If you aren\u0026rsquo;t venting the heat, humidity, smoke, grease, and odor outside, you\u0026rsquo;re just moving the problem around!\nA lot of houses, especially newer builds and condos, come with an over-the-range microwave that has a fan built into the bottom. It sucks air up from the stovetop, pushes it through a thin mesh filter, and blows it right back into the kitchen, usually at the height of your face. The grease filter catches some of the big droplets. A charcoal filter, if there is one and if anyone has ever replaced it, might catch some odor. Everything else, including the heat, steam, and smoke, stays in the house.\nWhy It Matters # Cooking puts a lot into the air. Searing a steak or frying anything sends grease and fine particles into the room. Boiling water adds humidity. And if you cook on a gas stove, you\u0026rsquo;re also burning fuel indoors. Researchers have found that gas stoves release nitrogen dioxide and other pollutants that can build up in a kitchen to levels you wouldn\u0026rsquo;t accept outside, especially in smaller homes with poor ventilation.\nIf you don\u0026rsquo;t vent it, it goes somewhere. The grease settles on your cabinets, ceiling, and walls as that sticky film that\u0026rsquo;s impossible to clean. The humidity can lead to condensation and mold. And the smell of last night\u0026rsquo;s fish hangs around the living room until Thursday.\nWhat Actually Works # A ducted range hood that exhausts to the outside is the real solution. A few things make a big difference:\nSize and capture. A hood that\u0026rsquo;s at least as wide as your cooktop, and ideally a little wider, catches more of the rising plume. Deeper hoods capture better than shallow ones. Use the back burners. The rear burners sit more directly under most hoods, so they capture much better than the front ones. Turn it on before you start cooking, and leave it running for 10 to 15 minutes after you\u0026rsquo;re done. Keep the filters clean. Most metal grease filters can go right in the dishwasher. Mind the makeup air. Very powerful hoods pull a lot of air out of the house, and that air has to come back in from somewhere. Building codes in many areas require a makeup air system for hoods over 400 CFM, so talk to a pro before installing a huge one. If You\u0026rsquo;re Stuck With a Recirculating Fan # Not everyone can cut a hole in the wall, especially renters. If that\u0026rsquo;s you, there are still ways to help:\nReplace the charcoal filter regularly. Most people never have. Open a window and run a fan blowing out of it while you cook. Use lids on pots and pans to cut down on steam and splatter. Consider an induction cooktop or a plug-in induction burner. With no flame, there\u0026rsquo;s no combustion pollution, and they heat fast. When you replace that microwave someday, think about whether you can swap it for a real hood. Your cabinets, your lungs, and your forehead will thank you.\n","date":"July 9, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-09-smoke-grease-odor/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Smoke, Grease, and Odor Out of the Kitchen","type":"posts"},{"content":"You don\u0026rsquo;t need panels on the roof to put the sun to work. The sun is already hitting your house every day. The question is whether it\u0026rsquo;s helping you or running up your bill.\nBlinds Are the Cheapest Solar Equipment You Own # In summer, close the blinds and curtains on your southern windows to reflect the heat from the sun back outside. In winter, open \u0026rsquo;em up to let the free heat in. Just keep in mind what the neighbors can see.\nIt sounds too simple to matter, but windows are one of the biggest sources of heat gain in a house. Sunlight comes through the glass, hits your floor and furniture, and turns into heat that\u0026rsquo;s stuck inside. The U.S. Department of Energy notes that medium-colored draperies with white plastic backings can reduce heat gain by about a third, and plenty of guides put the savings from good window coverings even higher. Closing the blinds before you leave for work on a hot day means the air conditioner has less to fight when you get home.\nA few tips that help:\nSouth and west windows matter most in the summer. West windows get the hot late-afternoon sun. Light-colored or reflective backings on curtains bounce more heat back out. Exterior shade beats interior shade. Awnings, a pergola, or a deciduous tree on the south side block the heat before it even reaches the glass. Trees that drop their leaves in fall let the winter sun back in for free. In winter, reverse it. Open south-facing blinds on sunny days and close them at night to hold the heat in. The Thermostat Request Isn\u0026rsquo;t a Joke # When your power company recommends people set their thermostat to 78, they\u0026rsquo;re asking nicely. Warm indoors with electricity is better than hot indoors with no electricity.\nDuring a heat wave, everyone\u0026rsquo;s air conditioner runs at the same time, usually late in the afternoon. That\u0026rsquo;s when the grid is most likely to hit its limits. Utilities and grid operators would much rather ask everyone to bump the thermostat up a few degrees than resort to rolling blackouts. If enough people listen, it works.\nThe Department of Energy also says you can save up to about 10% a year on heating and cooling by adjusting your thermostat 7 to 10 degrees from its normal setting for 8 hours a day, like while you\u0026rsquo;re at work. A smart or programmable thermostat makes that automatic. Pair it with a ceiling fan, which makes a room feel several degrees cooler, and 78 isn\u0026rsquo;t nearly as bad as it sounds.\nLocation, Location, Location # The sun matters outside the house too. If you work the day shift, living due west of your workplace isn\u0026rsquo;t very bright. Actually, it will be very bright, as you stare into the rising sun on your way to work and the setting sun on your way home.\nSun glare is a real safety hazard, especially on east-west roads in the spring and fall when the sun sits low right at rush hour. If you\u0026rsquo;re house hunting or job hunting, it\u0026rsquo;s worth a look at the map. If you\u0026rsquo;re already stuck with a sunny commute, keep a pair of sunglasses in the car, keep your windshield clean inside and out (glare makes a dirty windshield nearly impossible to see through), and leave extra following distance.\nWork With It, Not Against It # None of this costs much, if anything. It\u0026rsquo;s just paying attention to where the sun is and when. People did this for generations before central air existed, and it still works. Let the sun heat your house when you want heat, block it when you don\u0026rsquo;t, and keep it out of your eyes on the drive home.\nSources: U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Efficient Window Coverings and Programmable Thermostats.\n","date":"July 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-08-solar-without-panels/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Solar-Powered Without Solar Panels","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 8, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/summer/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Summer","type":"tags"},{"content":"Don\u0026rsquo;t just save money when times are hard. If you save money year-round, there may be fewer hard times.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the whole philosophy, really. Most money advice gets complicated fast, but the core of it is boring: spend less than you make, put the difference somewhere safe, and don\u0026rsquo;t let anyone talk you into spending money just because it feels like saving. A lot of marketing is built to make that last part hard. Here are a few of the traps I see most often.\n\u0026ldquo;Buy 3, Get 1 Free\u0026rdquo; When You Need 1 # \u0026ldquo;Buy 3, get 1 free\u0026rdquo; when you only need 1 is not really the deal it\u0026rsquo;s presented as. You came in for one bottle of something and you\u0026rsquo;re walking out with four. What do I do with the other three?\nSometimes a bulk deal makes sense. If it\u0026rsquo;s something you\u0026rsquo;ll actually use before it expires, like toilet paper, laundry detergent, or canned goods, stocking up at a lower price per unit is smart. But a lot of these promotions are on things that go bad, go out of style, or just sit in a cabinet until you move. The store didn\u0026rsquo;t give you a free item. It sold you three you didn\u0026rsquo;t need.\nA good test: would you have bought this many at full price? If not, it\u0026rsquo;s not a discount. It\u0026rsquo;s a bigger purchase with a nicer sign.\nIf It\u0026rsquo;s Out of Stock, It\u0026rsquo;s Out of Stock # Buying from a scalper is just handing over your hard-earned cash to someone looking for a free ride. Concert tickets, game consoles, graphics cards, holiday toys: whenever something is in short supply, people with bots and spare cash buy up the inventory so they can sell it back to you at a markup.\nDon\u0026rsquo;t pay a middleman for the privilege of being ripped off. Every time someone pays the scalper price, it proves the business model works, and they\u0026rsquo;ll be back to clear out the shelves next time too. Wait for the manufacturer to restock, sign up for an in-stock alert from the actual retailer, or do without. Almost nothing is so urgent that it\u0026rsquo;s worth paying double to the guy who caused the shortage.\n\u0026ldquo;Now Available on Streaming\u0026rdquo; # When I try to find out if a show or movie is available on streaming, I don\u0026rsquo;t mean \u0026ldquo;Can I pay extra money to watch it in a 48-hour window?\u0026rdquo; I mean, is it included in a subscription I\u0026rsquo;m already paying for, or is it on a different service?\nSearch results love to tell you a movie is \u0026ldquo;available on\u0026rdquo; a platform when what they really mean is you can rent it there for $5.99, on top of the monthly fee you\u0026rsquo;re already paying. That\u0026rsquo;s not streaming. That\u0026rsquo;s a video rental store that doesn\u0026rsquo;t have a return slot.\nBefore you pay, check whether it\u0026rsquo;s included with a service you already have. Your local library may also have it for free through apps like Hoopla or Kanopy, or on an actual disc you can borrow.\nThe Common Thread # Every one of these is designed to make you spend money faster than you planned to. The fix isn\u0026rsquo;t clipping more coupons. It\u0026rsquo;s slowing down long enough to ask, \u0026ldquo;Do I actually need this, and is this actually cheaper?\u0026rdquo; The money you don\u0026rsquo;t spend on fake deals is the money that\u0026rsquo;s there when times get hard.\n","date":"July 6, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-06-savingmoney/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"Saving Money: Skip the Deals That Aren't Deals","type":"posts"},{"content":"","date":"July 6, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/shopping/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Shopping","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/flock-safety/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Flock Safety","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/independence-day/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Independence Day","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/privacy/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Privacy","type":"tags"},{"content":"","date":"July 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/tags/surveillance/","section":"Tags","summary":"","title":"Surveillance","type":"tags"},{"content":"We\u0026rsquo;re celebrating a quarter-millennium of freedom, but the sentiment is hard to believe when there is expanding mass surveillance and open corruption.\nTwo hundred fifty years ago, the complaint list in the Declaration of Independence included things like soldiers quartered in homes and a government that wasn\u0026rsquo;t answerable to the people living under it. The founders were worried about being watched, searched, and controlled by people they never chose. That\u0026rsquo;s why the Fourth Amendment exists. The idea was simple: if the government wants to dig into your business, it needs a reason and a warrant.\nFast forward to today, and you don\u0026rsquo;t need a soldier in your living room. You need a camera on a pole.\nA Shadow From Your Driveway to the Grocery Store # There\u0026rsquo;s a real difference between the security that a locked door provides and a shadow that follows you from your driveway to the grocery store. We should be able to go about our day without being \u0026ldquo;processed and logged\u0026rdquo; by the cities we live in or visit.\nThat\u0026rsquo;s what automated license plate readers (ALPRs) do. The best-known company selling them is Flock Safety, and its cameras have popped up in cities, suburbs, neighborhood associations, and store parking lots all over the country. Every car that drives past gets photographed. The plate is read, logged with a time and location, and stored in a database that police can search. Many of these systems also record the make, model, color, and other details of your vehicle, so \u0026ldquo;license plate reader\u0026rdquo; undersells it. We all know they\u0026rsquo;re recording way more than license plates.\nBesides the constant surveillance, it doesn\u0026rsquo;t sit right with me that our tax dollars are being spent to build the prison warden that watches every street we turn onto. Nobody voted to be tracked. Most people don\u0026rsquo;t even know the cameras are there.\nThis Isn\u0026rsquo;t Hypothetical in Illinois # In 2025, the Illinois Secretary of State\u0026rsquo;s office audited Flock and said the company broke state law. Illinois passed a law in 2023 that bans sharing plate reader data for immigration enforcement or for investigating abortions, but the audit found federal Customs and Border Protection had been able to reach Illinois data through a pilot program. It also found there were no real safeguards stopping out-of-state police from searching Illinois cameras. Evanston shut off all 19 of its Flock cameras and terminated its contract, and Oak Park had already cut ties. (NPR Illinois, City of Evanston)\nThat\u0026rsquo;s the problem with building a giant database of everyone\u0026rsquo;s movements. Even if you trust your local police department, you\u0026rsquo;re also trusting every agency it shares with, every company employee, every software bug, and every future official who decides to use it for something new.\nSee What\u0026rsquo;s Watching You # If you want to know whether these cameras are in your town, DeFlock.org keeps a crowdsourced map of license plate readers across the country. Look up your commute. Most people are surprised.\nAfter that, the practical steps are pretty Midwestern:\nShow up. Camera contracts usually go through city councils and village boards. Those meetings are public, and very few people attend. Ask questions. How long is data kept? Who can search it? Is it shared outside the state? What has it actually solved? Talk to your neighbors. HOAs and businesses buy these cameras too, and they tend to listen to the people paying dues. Happy 250th, America. The best way to celebrate freedom is to keep it.\n","date":"July 4, 2026","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"/posts/2026-07-04-250th/","section":"Posts","summary":"","title":"USA 250th Birthday: Freedom, Now With Cameras","type":"posts"}]