As we face the prospects of another new year, we lament with Dickens, “It is the best of times and it is the worst of times.”  In many ways, things have never been better in the entire history of the world.
When you look at the explosion in technology and the tremendous opportunities that brings with [...]

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As I sit to write this, it’s 11:00 a.m. and still 8 degrees below zero.  We’re looking for a high that will not reach zero today.  It would be pretty discouraging if you didn’t have the right gear.  But for me, I say bring it on.  I’m ready for winter (with a new snowmobile sitting [...]

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Well, winter has officially come to the Yellowstone eco-system.  We’ve been having snow (a skiff at a time) almost every day for two or three weeks.  But today looks like real winter.  The color of the sky, the depth of the snow (about 8″), the colder temperatures (about 15 degrees,) all have changed and all [...]

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Somewhere,  somehow, people in our government and in our society have gotten the idea that profit is somehow wrong.  They would tell you that those who make a profit are “in it only for the money.”
I’d like to remind everyone of a few things.  Every great invention, every meaningful, rewarding job was created by someone [...]

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I had an interesting experience while building my wood shop these last few weeks.  I got a bid from a framer for $3,000 to frame and sheet the whole thing (40 X 50.)  That’s a great price and I knew it.  I knew of the framer and had seen his work.  He does excellent quality [...]

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I love that saying on several levels.  Nothing frustrates me more as a manager than the employee who builds a wall of secrecy around his area of responsibility.  You know the type.  They build an ever increasing list of things that only they can do.  They guard the processes and procedures with their lives in [...]

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When you’re standing on second base and a fly ball is hit, you don’t watch the ball.  You watch the third base coach.  He will tell you how far to go, how fast to go and whether to stop at third or keep going.   This seems to be one of the most difficult lessons to [...]

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I spent several hours the other day at the Henry’s Lake Fish Hatchery in Island Park, Idaho watching the spawners coming up the ladders to spawn.  It was fabulous.  The wildlife biologists have gathered over 4.5 million eggs this year — as many as they can feed with their limited budget.
But there was another side [...]

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I watched this winter as a business that had historically been closed in the winter decided to remain open.  This is a thriving business with a large, loyal clientele.  Because of the business they’re in, there should have been little difference between summer and winter levels of business. Â
The problem was, nobody knew they were [...]

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I had a conversation awhile back with a young man who was thinking of going to medical school.  This is a bright young man, talented and focused.  There’s no question (at least in my mind) that he will not only excel in medical school, but that he will also be a very good doctor.
His detractors [...]

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