I am CuTRis

When I was a kid, there were no such things as child restraints in cars. We had an imaginary line down the center of the back seat of the car though. If I crossed it, my brother punched me in the arm. If he crossed it, he was 5 years older than me so I just screamed. I stayed on my side until enough arm punching removed all feeling and therefore all pain from my arm. Then I crossed it again. Then my brother found a new place to hit me and it hurt again. So I stayed on my side. I think we can all learn something from this story; but I don't know what that something is.

... then the United States would be the safest place to live.

So if Donald Trump wants to cut taxes for the poor and the rich, doesn't that mean the middle class will end up paying even more than they already do? I mean, doesn't the middle class pay more than their share already? To be fair, when I heard Trump on the news last evening, I thought he said he wanted to cut taxes for the middle class too.

Though it started late, short pants season ran 18 days later than last year! If you look in my archives, it ended September 10th in 2014 and this year I converted to long pants just today.

On Saturday, the Raptor Center released six birds at the Carpenter Nature Center . The weather was outstanding and the day was very fun. We also visited the orchard to buy some self-picked apples!

The idea for Flo zilla came because of Filezilla ... Oh no, they say she's got to go go go Flozilla!

I have noticed since the days are shorter and it gets dark for longer, that there are numerous people in my neighborhood who like to run across the street in front of cars in the dark! Don't they know that their lives matter? This morning, in the dark, in the rain, a guy ran in front of my car just blocks from home—I think he was trying to catch the bus that was behind me. I only managed to see him at the last second and slammed on my brakes; in the rain, and he got to the other side without being killed... The image was like I remember from driver's training long ago in the simulator—when a person would appear out of nowhere in front of you! If I hadn't reacted as quickly as I did, this guy may have missed the bus permanently. Stop running in front of cars—especially in the dark!

The announcers like to talk about how strong Adrian Peterson 's grip is when he shakes hands. But somehow, that doesn't seem to apply when he is carrying the football. I can see losing the ball once maybe; but three times in one game? But then, he's only making $14 Million per year to run with a ball (and try not to drop it).

We had fun at the Wild Rice Festival on Saturday.

A recent report about the income of Black Minnesotans going down in one year's time does not address the bigger picture and so places the blame for this (presumably) on racism and inequality. Such a short-sighted view is destructive not only to racial harmony, but also to the African-American community—who is led to believe that they are not required to take any responsibility for their own situation. First of all, we should consider that the Black population in Minnesota is growing rapidly! Many of these new comers are immigrants from Somalia (and elsewhere in Africa) and others leaving places like Chicago and Indiana. These are not, in general, affluent people. In fact, the opportunities in Minnesota are the reason they are coming to the state—unless you choose to believe that people from Africa enjoy the subzero winter temperatures. Also missing from the report is the number of single-parent families represented in this data. Having worked in both social services and in e...

Dang right I'm going to get my car one of those Pumpkin Spice Oil Changes!

I was out walking when I saw this sign. I had to stop and think about it. I could have been tired and then renting a chair might be a good thing. But what if I wanted to sit for a long time? Then owning the chair I sat on might make better financial sense! But I certainly didn't want to walk around carrying my chair, so maybe rental was a good option. Finally I walked away because I really wasn't very tired and didn't need to sit down.

I've followed the Minnesota Vikings for years and I have never seen a more consistent team anywhere! In spite of different coaches, different owners, different players and different stadiums, the Vikings football team has been able to rise up and suck at any time and in any place. In fact, the team can suck at will! Last evening I wanted to watch the game, but with a 9:20 PM start time I did not. This morning I learned that they had lost 20-3 to the 49er's . I was not surprised. I was also glad I hadn't stayed up to watch. But I will say, Go Vikings!

To all of those angry drivers who are prone to road rage ; the people who honk at me if I try to obey the speed limit or signal to turn. To the guy who pulled his gun out and was waving it while chasing my car. To all of those people who can't seem to remain calm while they are enclosed in a vehicle. Sometimes my kid is with me. Some people have disabilities. Some people follow the rules. If this makes you want to kill someone while you are driving, maybe you need to get some help to address your anger issues.

When I was a young kid, Brylcreem was popular, no one wore contact lenses and everyone's dad looked a lot like Harold from the Red Green Show .