February 1, 2021

Mrs. Fernley and the
“Cranberries” Incident

Fifty (cough-cough) years ago, I began walking two blocks every morning to kindergarten at Cotesfield, Nebraska’s School Dist. 14. When I started my educational career in […]
December 30, 2020

There’s Always Next Year

Well, we did it. We made it to the end of the year that made no sense. Are you giddy? Gloomy? Melancholy? Grateful? Frustrated? Outraged? Me, […]
December 1, 2020

The Holly-Jolly Year of Me That Wasn’t

What a chaotically complicated, fascinating time to be alive. I keep hearing people say they are glad 2020 will finally be over soon. Are they convinced […]
November 2, 2020

White Pumpkins and Memorable Thanksgivings

November is here. Time to rake up autumn in a cone-shaped mound in the backyard and accept the blah of winter, zone out and barely acknowledge […]
September 29, 2020

Lifetime Impact Part III: Rene’s Homecoming

By year’s end, more airplanes and personnel continued to arrive at King Khalid Air Base, preparing for what was assumed would be an eventual invasion. “Everyone […]
September 8, 2020

Lifetime Impact Part II: Rene’s Pen Pals from Desert Shield/Desert Storm

In early October 1990, almost two months after Rene deployed to King Khalid Air Base near Khamis Mushait, a city in southwest Saudi Arabia, U.S. mailbags […]
July 27, 2020

30 Years After Desert Shield/Desert Storm, Part 1: Rene Deploys to the Middle East

It has been 30 years since my mother stopped frying my hair with home permanents, I quit wearing stone-washed jeans, and I began to say goodbye […]
June 29, 2020

What Exactly Are You Saying?

What a confusing, frustrating, challenging crossroads we find ourselves at this summer. I am exhausted and short-fused, yet I remain optimistic. I believe we are once […]
June 2, 2020

Inspiring Thoughts from the Nebraska National Guard’s First Female General Officer

Although it feels appropriate to launch this post with a whiney pandemic intro, I won’t. You have heard all those rhetorically clever and incredibly annoying color […]