After MPR read the headline, the 9 year old immediately asks:

“Hey Google, what’s third degree murder?”

#MyHeartKeepsBreakingAgainAndAgain

==

==

On Sept 11, 2001, a dozen years into the militarization of local police departments, I was working for a startup an old skyscraper on the north end of the Chicago Loop. The CEO survived the Bosnian civil war prior to immigrating.

We sat stunned watching the live coverage. I can still remember him dismissively observing, as he walked out of the room:

“It’s not a war, get back to work.”

Instead, we all went home.

One by one, over the next two weeks, we took better jobs.

If I was a DINK today, leaving Chicago in the driver’s seat of a U-Haul seeking balance – fully aware I could live anywhere – I might keep driving and try my luck in Absaroka.

==

In the Days After I’m predicting more regionalism and while I’ve personally noticed an increased sensitivity to out of state license plates, I did not expect this:

==

Turns out I’m the reason there’s only sliced and shredded cheese in the house:

“I feel like, if I buy you blocks of cheese you’re just going to eat them like a woodchipper.”

#YesYouTrulyTrulySeeMe

==

An Ongoing List of the Unexpected Global Pandemic Impacts to a Homebrewer’s Supply Chain

• Kegerator’s CO2 tanks unable to get refilled.
• Preferred yeast strains out of stock.
• Fewer neighbors are swinging by to have growlers refilled.
• Mistaken for an end-of-days survivalist while pushing four 5-gallon jugs of water through the grocery store aisles.

==

Jen says to the oldest child:

“If you turn that broken plastic toolshed into a chicken coop, we can have chickens.”

…a couple hours later he comes to me all excited…

“The internet says you should start with 2-3 more chickens then you want to end up with.”

The neighbor around the block has four chickens.

I asked them how many conversations about death they’ve had with her kids.

Smiling cautiously,they reply:

“All four made it through the winter.”