Category Archives: General

Home Safety

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Stephanie Fawkes-Lee

A young Des Moines police officer who was helping us with a racoon issue hadn’t yet been indoctrinated into how to handle the perception of crime in our neighborhood. He asked us point blank, “Do you hear gun fire at … Continue reading →

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Health System Problem? No, it’s an insurance problem

Posted on December 23, 2024 by Marty Ryan

The Manhattan murder of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson lit a fire under many Americans who are furious with their insurance carriers and the cost of premiums and denial of coverage. Murder is not a respectful way to get a point … Continue reading →

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Going to Kansas City

Posted on October 30, 2024 by Marty Ryan

Occasionally, I will check local newspapers’ obituaries from around the part of Iowa where I grew up. Unfortunately, I read an obituary in the Denison, Iowa, newspaper about a friend from the time we both worked at Farmland Foods in … Continue reading →

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Guns and Butter

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Marty Ryan

A version of this blog was previously published in the November 2024 issue of the Prairie Progressive Campaign strategist Jim Carville coined the phrase “[It’s] the economy, stupid” back in 1992 when he worked on Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign. “His … Continue reading →

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Blue-ribbon Caramels

Posted on October 18, 2024 by Marty Ryan

After my mother passed away, my brother-in-law created a flipped-page collection of some of mom’s best/favorite recipes that she often made. I noticed a mistake in the recipe for caramels (Mom’s mistake, not Ron’s). I realized that instead of 325º … Continue reading →

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Every Thirty-two Years

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Marty Ryan

Traveling back to Des Moines from an event in Coon Rapids in late September, we came upon a deputy sheriff’s car sitting along side the road as we popped over a hill. I wasn’t worried. I had the cruise control … Continue reading →

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