Root cause analysis is important. Years ago, I owned a Chevy S-10 pickup truck. It had a rotted tailgate; it shifted like I was trying to push a toothpick through modeling clay; and it would occasionally send perfume bursts of gasoline fumes into the cab when the fuel injectors malfunctioned. But I thought it was […]
Tag Archives: TFF Issue 28
Apples Around the Dollar Tree
I stand in line at the Des Moines, IA Dollar Tree on SE 14th, six feet back from the shopper ahead of me. We are spaced properly, but he is behind his blue painter
We’re Starting to Paint Tomorrow and Moving Our Stiff in on Saturday
We bought a house in Carlisle, IA. It
Don’t Pick Up Abandoned Pancakes at the Park
Will borrowed my American Eagle hoodie to wear to the Phipps Prairie Park in Silvis, IL. Later, he told me he used it to pick up a pancake he found and toss it into the woods. I was mad, but this burned out like a single spark. How mad can you be when your son […]
Dufus Guru
Jeezuz
A lady staffer at a church we used to attend always pronounced Jesus like Jeezuz, like suds, spuds, or was, with a strong emphasis on the hard, buzzing z instead of a soft s. Why did she do this? It
The Great Banana Sacrifice
Amy told me about a gardening strategy she wants to try to get our tomato plant to ripen faster. The plan involves picking the tomatoes and putting them into a brown paper bag with bananas. The bananas release ethylene, she said, a chemical that aids in the ripening of fruit. Call it original creative destruction. […]
Cut the Fruit and Pack All the Knives
Dr. Rocks Off
A buddy of mine said the doctor who performed his vasectomy was named Dr. Rocks Off. Probably not how his name was spelled, but that
The Soothing Sounds of My 38-Inch Cutting Deck
I got a new day gig in the Midwest. This gig will bring us closer to our family roots and closer to real estate prices that feel grounded in reality, rather than high up in the coke-filled clouds of a subprime speculator