Our mother planted pawpaw trees, and now we have lots of fruits! So many we have to freeze some of the meat, which involves a bit of work getting them peeled and seeded. We are chatting, and our neighbor Kim comes over to visit.

While visiting the Northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan I got a chance to chat with Jack Lessenberry, who knows a lot about Michigan Politics, past, present, and even future. I interviewed him at 7am, before he took his dogs out to the park for tug-of-war, so I was kind of dopey. But he sounds just right, so I won't bother trying to edit out my ums and hems and haws. He's the author of a book about (Republican) governor William Milliken, and if you want to hear more about every aspect of Michigan politics, here's a link to his blog: https://lessenberryink.com

Well, Chris and I were just talking about my birthday, weed burning and vapor barriers! I'm always happy when I'm talking to this guy.

Michigan author Steve Amick invited me to take off my shoes and stay a while in his home on Lake Michigan in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. We talked about writing and life.

His website: https://steve-amick.com/

Ron Riekki, who hails from Michigan's upper peninsula is a kind of Renaissance man. Here we talk about writing, mental health, and humanity!

Ron Riekki and I sat down together and talked for three hours about writing, writing in the Upper Peninsula and beyond, and we got downright philosophical. Ron shared many stories from his life in the military, in medicine, in the literary world.

Always great to talk to my darling Christopher!

Duane is great. He works hard, and can do all kinds of jobs on houses and cars. He drives an old truck with sticker on it that says "All Boobs Matter."