I grew up in Arizona, where the weather was constant sunshine for around 300 days out of the year. You had rain and even snow—although no one I talk to believes that snow could fall in the desert. However, precipitation was more of an anomaly than a regular thing most times. I find myself thinking…
Libraries should make it easier to access knowledge, not harder
One of my mother’s favorite brags is that I learned how to read at the age of 3½. It is one of the things that she is most proud of. The key to getting a young boy like me into reading was exposing me to books. During those days, there were few bookstores, so much…
Wart! Latest Super Mario movie has added incentive
It takes a lot to convince me to go to a movie theater these days, mainly because a lot of films out there don’t have the grab factor to convince me to shell out $20 for tickets and snacks. However, it looks like 2026 could be a year when the movie industry actually entices me…
Preference for school structures up in the air
I recently got to thinking about how schools have changed. I wasn’t thinking about the curriculum or the technology that teachers and students use to teach and learn, respectively. My thoughts turned to accessing the school from the outside. Growing up in Arizona, my schools weren’t single buildings with multiple floors like you see in…
Tribal identity can’t be defined by blanket terms
There are about 600 different tribes in the United States, each with their own different culture, language and traditions. In Wisconsin, where I currently reside, there are 12 such tribes, and in Arizona, where I grew up, there are 23. In my lifetime, I’ve had the privilege of meeting some different tribal members in both…
Ejection from bar result of pride in family history
I will not relent when it comes to my family history. I made that clear in my last post when a public figure pronounced the first name of Revolutionary War hero Casimir Pulaski as “Cashmere.” I wasn’t the only one who was honked off about it. My sweetheart, Todd, who has some Polish blood in…
What’s in a name? In this case, it’s not a sweater
We should honor our heroes. I was taught that from a very young age. We should especially honor our heroes in the military, especially those fight in wars for our freedom. In my family, we have an ancestor that I have always been proud of—Casimir Pulaski. For those who are not aware of him because…
Thomas Sanders shows lighter side of multiple personalities
The ever-expanding internet has created an infinite number of online influencers vying for our attention, wooing us with fitness tips, farm life, food recommendations, comedic shtick and much, much more. It’s likely this is the reason most of us spend so much time glued to our screens seeking to be entertained. Most of the influencers…
Abandon ship! Thoughts about boarding a cruise
I was scrolling through Facebook one morning when I came across a post from an entertainer I follow performing on an ocean cruise. Shortly after, I saw another post where a Facebook friend was planning on taking a cruise. Many folks seem eager to hop on a ship and take to the high seas for…
Don’t adjust your sets; just give us more in our programs
When you come home for the day and settle in for the night, you have to find some way to entertain yourself. Many times, that means plopping down in front of the television to watch your favorite programs and be swept away by the story. That might seem like an odd thing for an author…
Thespians make sure the show goes on
Everybody loves to be entertained. What’s the alternative? Boredom. In ancient times, you had gladiators face off in arenas. As settlers traveled across the new frontiers in the 19th century, they told stories and sang songs during the quieter times of their journeys. Nowadays, entertainment can be found in multiple forms. However, there’s one classic…
Bet you can’t guess what the topic is this week
I remember the excitement of getting the Nintendo video game Super Mario Bros. 2 in 1988 and how much I played it on Christmas Day and beyond. Anyone who knows me knows how obsessed I am with the Mario franchise, from getting my hands on the soundtracks to playing the games until the end and…
Rural Roots and American Rainbows 