Category Archives: General

A Different Kind Of Holiday Season

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Two of my favorite holidays are celebrated this week, Pie Day (3.14) and Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17th). We began the week with corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. You can never start celebrating St. Patrick’s Day too soon. Actually, … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Off To The Races!

Posted on March 6, 2023 by Dennis Mohatt

Growing up Vail meant fending for ourselves when it came to recreation.  As Marty has shared, often the fending for fun could edge toward activities parents today would find horrifying.  Hell, for all I know, our parents were horrified too.  … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Missing In Action

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Upon being drafted by the U.S. Army in 1970, I figured that after two years, if was still alive, I would be discharged from military service and be done with the government’s intrusion into my life. But no, I hadn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Legislative Liver

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Marty Ryan

I spent ten years as a sausage maker at Farmland Foods in Denison, Iowa. I spent twenty-seven years as a lobbyist at the Iowa Capitol. “Laws are like sausages, it is better not to see them being made,” quipped Otto … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Brief Tale

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Have you ever gone skinny dipping? If you were a boy living in Vail, Iowa, during the 1950s and 1960s there was just about no way to avoid the practice of diving into a farm pond sans clothing or swim … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Chicago – The Sequel

Posted on February 1, 2023 by Marty Ryan

My first time in Chicago was chronicled in a previous blog, Look Before You Leap. I’ve been to Chicago, and the metropolitan area several times since. And who hasn’t had a frustrating trip through O’Hare Airport at least once in … Continue reading →

Posted in General | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment