Bedtime story....
I was putting our youngest daughter to bed tonight and she wanted a story. I really wan't in the mood and made up some lame excuse to not read a story to her. She smiled with those big beautiful eyes and said 'that's ok daddy, you can just tell me one without reading'. I struggled for a few moments as my mind raced to think of something to tell her or to say that would pass as an acceptable bedtime story. From a dark corner of mey memory came this amazing tale...

Two young boys played in the snow covered yard of the log home nestled deep in the national forest. The intersection of two unimportant roads marked the corner of forty acres that was the home to one of the boys. They laughed and played, chasing a Springer Spaniel around the yard through the sparkling white powder. More white snow drifted lazily to the ground around them as they ran, desperately trying to catch the dog.

The dog was able to run in the snow much faster than the two young boys. They would never catch him, but it was a wonderful way to spend a winter weekend afternoon. The boys became so involved in their play that they let themselves wander further from the house. Soon they were darting in and out of the trees along the edge of the clearing around the homestead. As the dog ran ahead, they followed, finally turning deeper into the woods and away from the home.

When the boys realized the snow was falling harder they looked quickly for the path home, but the wind was growing in intensity as it wiped their tracks away after just moments had passed. The falling snow now fell faster and faster. The boys began to yell and anxiously searched for any sign of how to find their way home.

Soon it began to get dark, and now the wind was howling, pelting the boys with snow. They were definitely lost and in the dark they were in danger of falling or hurting themselves. Using the skills they had been taught, growing up in the north woods, they hunkered down together under a pine trees low hanging bows. The dog had long since disappeared. They were alone in the dark of night, facing the fury of a northern Wisconsin winter snowstorm. They cuddled as close as possible, conserving any body heat that remained, fervently praying that their parents would somehow find them.

In the middle of the night, as the wind howled around them, there was a momentary pause in the storm. In that pause there was a voice that called their names! With new hope they jumped up and began to yell. With each moment seeming like eternity they waited for another sound. Then there it was, another shout! Then a light in the trees, and finally men reaching down to pick them up and carry them out of the woods.

That story was true, and it was my friend Paul Noetzel and I lost in the woods behind my parents house when we were about eight years old, I think. I hadn't thought of that in years, but it was an amazing miracle that we survived, much less without any significant damage. The neighborhood men had gathered and began a search on snowshoes. In the middle of a real blizzard, a momentary pause in the wind at the perfect place in time made their voices reach us. I wonder if Paul remembers too, I haven't spoken to him in thirty years. Anyway, tonight it made a pretty exciting bedtime story.

Business Travel is Over-Rated.

After being in St Paul for a few days on business I am so happy to be home. Living in a hotel room with a noisy heater and a strange bed just cannot compare with the comforts of home. No children fighting. No wife yelling. Maid service making the bed every day. Yet I still miss being home. I guess my domestication is complete.

Snowing again, and freezing rain. Total by tomorrow night supposedly will be approximately 10 inches. Anyone know of a small town in middle America where there is only occasional snow, never below zero, never over 80 degrees in the summer, no crime, and a great school system? If so, let me know.

Good night.