With the exception of being a state trooper, the toughest job in state government, in my estimation, is working as a corrections officer in a state prison. You’re dealing with a population of men and women who, for the most part, are adept at manipulation and have some history in assaultive behavior.

Growing up, there were few things that I hated more than when my dad told my brother and I that it was time to go and pick up trash. Sure, I cared about the planet, and on Earth Day when my classmates, the rest of the school, and I would plod around Palmer picking up garbage, the activity was fun.

A rarely discussed legal term is getting its day in the sun. “The rule of law” is the crazy idea that everyone in a democracy is accountable to the same laws and that everyone is entitled to their day in court (and to be represented by an attorney).

Jack Benny used to say that “kids say the darndest things.” But every time there’s an election, we can honestly say that “political ads say the darndest things.” A seemingly innocuous vote or comment by a campaign becomes a negative television ad or campaign mailer. Forget about the issues and whether a controversial vote was cast for a good reason.

This past weekend, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t get at least a little bit sappy while taking pictures at the first of what I am sure will be many graduation ceremonies this month. I am not an overly sentimental person, but for some reason, graduation—likely because of the finality of the moment and the spectacle made at the end of such an important chapter in the graduates’ lives—is always a sad time.

As a kid, our grade school class was one of many that got to visit John Brown’s Cave in Nebraska City. There was a cool log cabin, the Mayhew Cabin, hewn from local cottonwoods before Nebraska became a state.

On my way home from work, I drive past Casey’s General Stores’ St. Paul location.

It doesn’t happen very often, but I imagine that like me, from time to time, many of our readers get that feeling in the pit of their stomach. That feeling that indicates that, at that very moment, they are part of a once in a lifetime moment.

When it comes to the whys and hows of state tax policy, it’s hard to beat public hearings of the Revenue Committee at the Nebraska Legislature. There’s a fascinating mix of folks testifying, from dark-suited corporate lawyers and accountants asking for tax cuts, to blue jean-wearing farmers wondering why property taxes are so high.

Since trading the title of city slicker for that of country boy nearly three years ago, I have learned a lesson or two during my time living in rural Howard County. The lessons have run the gamut, from learning that barefoot trips across the driveway lead to a lot of blood, to realizing that, sometimes, it is better to dodge the deer—and snowdrifts for that matter—than careen right into them.