Category Archives: Family

The Good Life revisited

Posted on July 10, 2016 by BigBill

This past week has been both happy and sad. We had family in town; Cathy’s two sisters (and spouses), an aunt and a niece with her family. Several of them stayed with us; the rest stayed fairly close by and … Continue reading →

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Fidelity and civilization

Posted on June 29, 2016 by BigBill

My friend Scott and I used to love to argue philosophy; frequently facilitated with a nice  merlot. At times I accused him of taking “The Argument Clinic” position (a great Monty Python sketch well worth the 5 minutes if you’ve … Continue reading →

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Can morality be compartmentalized?

Posted on June 24, 2016 by BigBill

Many years ago, some good friends of mine posed a question to me. They wanted to know if I thought that someone who cheated on their spouse could be trusted in business. It wasn’t a casual question to them; they … Continue reading →

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The Scottish National War Memorial

Posted on June 8, 2016 by BigBill

For our twenty-fifth anniversary, Cathy and I went to England and Scotland and had a “smashing time.” We stayed in London for a couple of days at either end of our trip, but for the most of it we lit … Continue reading →

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Electric trains and delayed gratification

Posted on February 5, 2016 by BigBill

When I was a kid (I think maybe 11), my brother Jim and I decided we wanted to have an electric train set. We looked at the different sizes (called “gauges”); HO gauge is sized in between the two other … Continue reading →

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Grandpa Shaddle’s workshop

Posted on January 28, 2016 by BigBill

When I was growing up in north central Illinois, my grandparents lived just across the street. Most houses in the Midwest have full basements, but my grandfather’s was special. Grandpa Shaddle loved woodworking and had a workshop in his basement, … Continue reading →

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Total recall

Posted on January 22, 2016 by BigBill

I grew up in a small farming community in north central Illinois. It’s still pretty much like it was some 6 decades later, but with different players and the Internet. Everyone knows everyone else; people belong to bowling leagues and … Continue reading →

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It’s 2016!

Posted on January 1, 2016 by BigBill

Hard to believe, but another year is behind us and a new one just beginning. Actually, that’s true every single morning, but it seems we only take note of it on this day. It would be interesting to find out … Continue reading →

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I didn’t know them.

Posted on December 11, 2015 by BigBill

Not too long ago one of the houses in my subdivision caught fire. I heard there was an electrical short in the garage someplace, a flame started and spread to the house. The family got out with some smoke inhalation … Continue reading →

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Turkey Day!

Posted on December 5, 2015 by BigBill

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Maybe because it was the one holiday we’d do when  I was a kid, I now associate turkey day with family and comfort. When I was growing up in north central Illinois, my grandparents lived … Continue reading →

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