It amazes me to think how many people are convinced that Casinos are the new penicillin for financial ailments, if that were true we would have one in every county. Will all those who've won more that they lost please raise their hands. I am a gambler but fortunate that is not the driving force in my life, for others that's not the case. Congratulations Warren County for deciding this isn't the answer, that sometimes the problems created far outweigh the benefits.

Calling what we're seeing this morning a winter storm does nothing to make me feel better and somewhat confuses me. I beat on my calendar thinking it was faulty, but no it is May 2nd. Could this be a bad flashback from life in the 60's, no I wasn't into that. It can't be that I've been a bad boy because it's punishing everyone. On December 24th snow is pretty on May 2nd it's nothing but ugly. OK Iowans I've done the reqired and qualified complaining, let's ride this out together and practice "I remember the snow on May 2nd 2013!"

I find you don't have to travel far to find happiness. That will be one of my goals this summer, to take time to enjoy more Iowa. Every community has developed some sort of celebration to honor their heritage and the diversity of ethnic backgrounds abound. You could visit any nation in the world and not leave the state. Less time spent on the road and more in getting to know our friends and neighbors and what makes them proud is a great investment.

At my age skipping looks a little questionable, singing to myself raises eyebrows and just smiling while thinking good thoughts may cause concerns of dementia. I assure you all I am feeling is the rebirth of nature, the freshness and hope that it brings. The realization that the dullness and doldrums of winter are rapidly receding and giving way to a regenerated 65 year old man whose love of life is boundless and has so many years to remember and so many more to look forward to. While life is not infinite I'm thankful that our maker did not put an expiration date on us so I can live it like it is.

Memories are wonderful things most of the time, as my age advances (kind way of saying I'm old) The news is not always good. It seems for every childs birth I celebrate I have to give up old friends to make room. The blessing is that most of us remember these folks in the best of times, it makes us smile and remember. I'm not sure if the rest of you have been able to keep in touch with High school classmates but I have had the good fortune to reconnect through facebook and it has been wonderful. We were a large class and although we didn't all hang out together back then, through the miracle of age we have been able to rid ourselves of childish barriers and share the riches of family, friends and life experineces. We can rekindle old friendships and develop new ones, share memories and create new ones. As I often say "The mind is still young, the eqipment keeps breaking down"