From the Publisher

Where did the cover coome from?

It's probably related to columns that went unpublished, don't 'cha think?

Yes, I should explain the cover. For many years my humor column (we called them columns in the newspaper days, kids) was published in three local newspapers in northeast Indiana. Being afraid of missing deadlines, I wrote some up ahead of time in case I got sick, or kidnapped by aliens, or won the lottery, or got kidnapped by sick aliens for a lottery.

Then the newspaper got bought out, and went in a direction that was not me.

So yes, these are literally unpublished humor columns. My wife Emily designed the cover: The type is kind of dummy type thrown in by editors until the text is ready. The dog was, of course, our dog, who sadly passed away last summer. He used to oversee my writing ... I miss that.

What's the job of a humor writer?

The job of a humor writer is to make fun of something: Politics, popular entertainment, toilet paper, Taylor Swift, whatever.

Well, I would never make fun of Taylor Swift. I have a feeling her fans are just one cutting remark away from the next French Revolution. Or possibly another Spanish Inquisition, but I don't see that coming. So I chose to make fun of ... wait for it ... me.

That's why, if any photo ever makes me look even a little ridiculous, you'll find I've posted it somewhere on the web.

What's it all about, then?

So basically, you'll find my humor columns cover family, such as in this photo where I brought my granddaughter home for my dog to eat ...

Mechanical things that go horribly wrong--this is just a mild version. To this day people around town, in the emergency services, and at the Federal Aviation Administration still tell tales of my infamous exploding lawn mower incident.

Books and more books

Our writing, because Dennis Miller once told me a person should always be closing. He didn't really tell me that, but he's said it a lot, and made a comfortable living. That's just my opinion--I might be wrong.

And other stuff

And of course the weather, because everyone talks about that. No, this isn't a photo of the weather, because I don't go outside in winter and summers go to fast. But I also talk about animals, cars, and my wife, so I figure that covers it pretty well.

(My wife is much smarter than me, but I'd prefer you not remind me of that. When people tell me she's also more mature, I stick my tongue out at them.)