Tag Archives: High Plains Blogger

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Holiday gives me the willies

Why in the name of cheap-seat punditry have I gotten so queasy about skewering Donald J. Trump during this holiday season?

I mean, it’s not as if I have found anything at all to respect or admire about him. I still detest the notion of this fraud and con man returning to the White House. I am trying to imagine how in the world this clown is going to deliver anything resembling a heartfelt holiday greeting to the nation that doesn’t include something gratuitously self-serving or contains attack verbiage on the “fake news” or against all of those who feel as I do about him.

Maybe I am being overtaken by a universal sense of good cheer. It might be filling me with a touch of guilt about saying something negative when we’re supposed to be honoring a uniquely American holiday such as Thanksgiving. We’re giving thanks these days, right? I am for sure. I give thanks I live in a country that allows me to vent openly and even angrily about my government and those who run it.

Christmas is coming up. So is Hannukah. They are joyful holidays.

I have said so much about Trump during his nearly a decade in political life that I start repeating myself. I don’t want to do that. You don’t want to read it, either.

The season will pass eventually. Then I can return to the normal flow of commentary on High Plains Blogger. It will remain a largely political forum. I intend to continue sprinkling it with human interest comment, It will be about me, my ongoing journey, my family and my puppy.

Hey, it’s the season!

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Patience runs thin

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Patience is a virtue people tell me I possess and I am grateful for the kind words and, of course, for the quality they say I have.

I have to tell you, though, that some followers of this blog surely do test whatever patience I deploy.

One guy offers a good example. He is a critic of High Plains Blogger. He wails on me whenever I have something negative to say about Donald Trump or something positive I have to offer about Kamala Harris; my earlier support for Joe Biden also drew barbs.

FYI, this individual keeps insisting he isn’t a Trump cultist.

But … he is!

Sometimes this guy offers commentary that the Word Press platform approves automatically as a blog response. Others require me to approve them individually … which I generally do. I say “generally,” because I am beginning to axe some commentary that either is repetitive, or is patently false or provides criticism I might deem to be defamatory. Defaming someone exposes a lot of folks to litigation and as I have told critics over the years who insist that I publish such material: I don’t care if you get sued, but I damn sure care if I get sued. 

My blog also contains non-political material as well. I comment on goings-on in the community I call home and also speak to what I call “slice of life” matters of a more personal nature, Does my critic bother to respond to any of those commentaries? Hah! Which leads me to believe he is “trolling” me.

My patience has its limits. This guy — and some others as well — are testing it mightily. I shall remain strong.

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Blogging gets new life

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I resigned from my final full-time journalism job on Aug. 31, 2012, having been informed by my publisher that I no longer would do what I had done for the Amarillo Globe-News for the past 18 years …. and I thought I was pretty good at it.

Silly me.

I would learn later that the publisher had me in his crosshairs when he announced that everyone’s job description had been changed. I fought for my job fiercely, telling the publisher ultimately that the industry I entered in 1976 bore no resemblance to what it had become by 2012. And that he was asking me to do things only a little different.

It didn’t work.

Immediately, I. began focusing my attention full time to High Plains Blogger, a platform I created a few years earlier.

I have mentioned many times on this blog how much I enjoy writing on it, offering my assorted views on this and/or that policy issue.

I have boasted from time to time that writing comes easily to me. I won’t brag about the quality of the prose I produce, just say that it does flow fairly easily off the tips of my fingers.

The subject matter helps determine the ease. I’ll be candid. Prior to President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential campaign, it was becoming a bit problematic to find issues on which to comment.

Up stepped ‘vice President Kamala Harris. Biden endorsed the VP. She launched a full-frontal campaign from a virtual dead stop, raised a few tons of cash and injected this campaign with an energy level I haven’t seen since, oh, 2008 when Barack Obama took the nation by storm.

What does this mean for your friendly blogger? It means the proverbial chest where I store my ideas is full again.

I intend to remain engaged fully in this campaign. The blog is the only venue I have to offer commentary on the status of the effort.

So … I will weigh in. It feels good to be relevant.

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My journey is complete

Drum roll, please, for I am about to make an announcement.

The journey through darkness I have written about extensively on this blog since I lost my lovely bride, Kathy Anne, to cancer has for all intents reached its end.

So much has happened to my family and me since the worst day of our lives came crashing down on us. We lost the pillar of our family to glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. She lost her valiant battle and left her family and friends in a profound state of grief.

I commenced my return back from the darkness by writing about that journey on High Plains Blogger. You know what? It helped me beyond measure. I found it within myself to share my grief with the whole world. The process filled me with hope that I could get through this period.

And I have done so!

I have told you about how I searched for light at the end of this journey. I am happy to report that the light on this day is far brighter than I ever imagined it would be immediately after Feb. 3, 2023 … which I have labeled as the worst day of my life.

Every one of those who comprise my worldwide network of friends and acquaintances have said the same thing: The pain never will go away. It will return without warning. You, though, will learn to manage it. You know what? They all were right! Here is a compilation of the entries I posted on High Plains Blogger.

Kathy Anne | Search Results | High Plains Blogger

I have learned that the overarching lesson in dealing with grief is to not let it consume me. It hasn’t. I am moving on with my life. Yes, I have some aspects of that new life to work on … but I can do so with a clear head and a heart that is not nearly as damaged as I reported earlier on this blog.

As one of my sons informed me, “If you can get something positive accomplished in spite of your grief, then you’re doing OK,”

There you have it … but I am happy to declare myself to be far better than OK. Kathy Anne would insist on it.

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Time for a rant!

Rarely do I use this blog to rant and rail about personal matters … but today I am going to make a brief exception.

I see a lot of “No Soliciting” signs on people’s front yards. I have nothing to sell, so I have no good reason to knock on someone’s door.

There is a “No Soliciting” sign in the flower bed in front of my front door. It’s there just as plain as the schnoz on my puss.

What’s the rant? You know where I am going with this. It is to bellow angrily at salespeople who (a) ignore the sign, (b) don’t see it or (c) ring my doorbell just to piss me off.

I won’t think the worst of folks, so I’ll rule out the last “reason.”

However, I don’t put those signs out because I like the way they look among the front-yard flora. I put them out there because I do not want salespeople seeking to sell me something this old grouch doesn’t need or want. The kid today sought to sell me a pest-control product he said would get rid of spiders. “I’ve talked to your neighbors and they told me they have spiders,” he said.

OK. My rant is over. Now I’ll return to more worldly items on which to, oh I don’t know … maybe offer a complaint.

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Blog nears milestone

Time for a little bragging, if that’s all right with you. If you object, too bad. I am going to boast … just a little.

High Plains Blogger will surpass in just two days a significant milestone. I am proud to announce it will mark 1,000 consecutive days in which I have posted something on the blog.

I know better than to brag about the quality of the posts. I’ve enjoyed many of them. I haven’t liked so much many others. As for whether all my posts have been welcomed, that depends on those who read them. The political posts have their friends and their foes. The friends generally are quiet; the foes pull the long knives out of their scabbards.

My blog took a dramatic turn in the past year. I have used this forum as a form of therapy for my broken heart. My dear bride, Kathy Anne, lost a fight with cancer and I have told you the story of the journey I undertook to emerge from the darkness. My chronicling of that journey has been well-received, and it has helped me find the light, which today shines brightly.

I will soldier on. Why do this? Well, it’s what I do.

For those who have stayed with me for all this time, I offer a humble and heartfelt thank you.

High Plains Blogger means a lot to me. I hope you get something from it as well.

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Trump: recipe for boredom

It is becoming apparent to me that readers of High Plains Blogger are as bored with the 45th POTUS as I am.

I now shall explain myself.

Yes, I am writing about him. However, I hope readers have taken note that I am veering off the political trail and into more, um, human interest matters. Those other issues seem to be garnering more attention among HPB readers than my usual prattle about Donald J. Trump, who I believe is the most dangerous politician of my lifetime.

Also, I want to mention — even though it is obvious — that I have returned to referring to the former POTUS by his name. I am doing so sparingly. Why? Because even the appearance of his name sends me into fits of boredom. That means I’ll offer up the occasional pejorative reference to him.

I long have promoted this blog as specializing on “politics, public policy” and on “slice of life” topics. It’s the latter topic that gives me the most pleasure these days. We all have lives outside of political issues. I am preferring, therefore, to talk about those matters that occupy more of our minds than the ramblings of politicians.

I even consider this blog entry a sort of “slice-of-life” item. I hope you feel the same.

This all leads me to another point I want to make. It is that blogging has flung the door wide open to yours truly. I am not bound to rely only on the stumble-bum rhetoric that flies out of politicians’ pie holes. It’s a big ol’ world out there and I like exploring as much of it as I can. Given that I created this blog more than a dozen years ago, I have delivered myself the perfect venue to do the one thing that seems to come so naturally.

I like to write. I hope to keep you interested.

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More on conviction …

Fascinating, yes, how some folks are reacting to the New York jury ‘s unanimous decision to convict the former POTUS for illegally paying hush money to an adult film actress regarding a tryst the two of them had before he sought the presidency.

One reaction came to me in the form of a question, followed by a commentary. It reads: At any rate, I was wondering if Trump wins in November, will you accept that outcome? On an interesting note, it seems the sham conviction is giving Trump quite the boost.

Well …

OK, my first reaction is to not engage anyone who calls the verdict a “sham.” It was nothing of the sort. Jurors reached their decision in accordance with the rule of law. Donald Trump was convicted on all 34 felony counts and faces a possible prison sentence. He has the right to appeal, which he said he will do.

Would I accept a Trump victory in November? I’ll just say: Yes, I would if it comes cleanly and without any hint of “rigging.” I accept Trump’s 2016 victory. He achieved it according to the rules laid out in the Constitution. He garnered fewer popular votes than Hillary Clinton but won enough Electoral College votes to take the oath of office.

This particular critic of High Plains Blogger, though, tosses aside any notion of dialogue with me if he insists that the verdict is a “sham.”

Get a grip, dude.

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So many acquaintances

Blogging is my newest form of self-expression, although it certainly isn’t all that new, as I have been at it full time since 2012.

That makes a dozen years since I commenced this latest endeavor to put my thoughts on some form of cyber “paper” and distribute it throughout our known world.

Where am I going with this? I want to explain one of the phenomena associated with blogging that doesn’t seem to get as much attention as I believe it should. This form of commentary has introduced me to many acquaintances with whom I have no other personal connection.

They read these musings and are moved, either out of total agreement or the exact opposite, to be notified every time I post something that flies into cyberspace.

Am I moved at times to get to know these individuals? It depends on whether we agree politically. Occasionally, I hear from one of them whenever I write something positive about President Joe Biden. He will respond usually with a snarky comment aimed at his dislike of Biden’s policies.

The other stuff that flies into space from my laptop? All I get are the proverbial crickets.

Hey, no worries. I always await his reaction when I bellow something good about Biden or something negative about the moron who wants to run against him this fall.

He is far from alone among those lying in wait. The good news is that many critics of High Plains Blogger express themselves with a form of gentleness. I am casually acquainted with some of them. They might know members of my family. I might have actually met them. Then again, maybe not. I will engage them in some repartee, but only if I’m in the mood.

I tend to let my views stand as my final word on a subject once they are posted and sent rocketing into space. I am advised to engage more frequently than not, though. Debating readers who respond is supposed to “connect” me with the audience. Well, maybe so. Then again, it might widen the divide.

I continue to enjoy this avocation. It doesn’t pay me much money, but I ain’t in it for the cash. I do this because I just like writing and I like putting my stamp on this ever-changing world of ours.

Plus, it builds my sphere of acquaintances.

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932 days … and counting

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This isn’t a boastful post, but it is one that calls attention to a streak I’ve enjoyed for a very long time.

For 932 consecutive days I have posted something on High Plains Blogger that might be of some interest to someone out there.

High Plains Blogger is taking a lengthy airplane right Tuesday morning, which might — perhaps, maybe — put that streak in some jeopardy. I will work to ensure it remains intact.

I am going to Nuremberg, Germany for two weeks. I will be visiting dear friends who invited me back there when they got word of my bride’s passing way. I’m taking them up on their generous hospitality.

My hope is that we don’t get too gabby and I forget to post something within a particular calendar day.

The gentleman who is hosting me is a journalist, so he knows about my deadline pressure. His wife works for the government, so she knows, too. They are wonderful friends and are the parents of three fabulous children, who have grown significantly — of course — since the previous time I was there in 2016 with Kathy Anne.

I do know this: my bride would insist I keep the streak alive.

So … I will.