In This Together – Page 47

Living in a Time of Shortages

It was the summer of 1975. I was standing in a GUM department store in Moscow, Russia, wondering why these people were standing patiently in a long line. I walked to the front of the line to see what was going on. A supply of disposable ballpoint pens had recently arrived. The people were lining…… Continue reading Living in a Time of Shortages

Franklin Learning Center

100 years ago, Scandinavian immigrants studied next to this fireplace in the basement of a Carnegie library. Today, Somali refugees study English, math, citizenship, and GED next to this same fireplace in a library basement. My Wednesday gig.

A Crosswalk in Nagano

Posted A Crosswalk in Nagano.

A Crosswalk in Nagano

One Monday afternoon in April 2016 I got to see something which, once seen, has been impossible to un-see. I’m standing at a crosswalk in Nagano, Japan, reading a ditty on the back of a man’s shirt: Indian Boys,Indian Boys,Oh how I love those Indian Boys The image of an American Indian dreamcatcher tells me…… Continue reading A Crosswalk in Nagano

A Treasured Possession

Unpacked our last boxes. Reunited with my favorite radio, ever. It originally belonged to my paternal grandmother. When she died in 1959, it became my bedside radio. I would lie in the dark listening to comedies and dramas from the BBC Home Service.

Nephew in Hospital

Checked in on my youngest nephew, recovering nicely at Minneapolis Children’s Hospital.

Underneath the Arches

Sometimes you just have to break the rules. I ignored a warning sign, climbed over a barrier, then walked down a rickety staircase, avoiding gaps where boards had once been. At the bottom, I found myself in a derelict place beneath the Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge. I looked up at the beautiful lines of the…… Continue reading Underneath the Arches

Consequences Of Nationalism

Explored the consequences of nationalism in pre-World War I Europe with an ESL student. Restrained myself from drawing parallels with today’s world.

Christmas Crackers

First Christmas gathering of the season at our nephews’ and their parents’ home. Our nephews had insisted on Christmas crackers (a British tradition). We’ve brought them up well.