Years ago my dad had a 36” John Deere walk behind mower. Growing up, it was always called “the big mower,” and learning to operate it was a pivotal moment, since my brother and I were tasked with mowing the double sized lot, and using this larger mower cut the time requirement down quite a bit. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was a great piece of equipment.

Last week I had the opportunity to spend 24 hours in Dallas, Texas - or at least the area directly adjacent to the airport. Fun fact: DFW airport has a larger land mass at 29 square miles than the entire island of Manhattan. Spend a day hopping in and out of Ubers and you’ll hear this several times, I learned.

I've mentioned it in past newsletters, but I play a little guitar. Not that well, mind you, but I've been at it for more than half my life, and I enjoy it. As hobbies go, it's louder than most.

Cincinnati is a town blessed with an abundance of traditional butcher shops. We have so many in fact that it's not unusual to frequent more than one family-run operation based on what they do well. Personally, I usually get steaks from Dave's, but I go to Humbert's for their spicy goetta. This seems normal to me.

The second actual day of Spring here in Cincinnati was met with several inches of snow. My kids are off school, roads are a mess, the whole bit. And even at that, we got off easy compared to large parts of the eastern seaboard. Many of you are probably buried again this week, and even if you are making some money on snow removal, if you’re like me you’re thinking that this has been plenty of winter, thank you, and let’s get onto the spring weather.

Friday morning, Matt Johnston poked his head in my office and says, “have you tried the phones, boss?”

I live in a fairly social neighborhood. There is a solid group of families we know and will intentionally spend time with; we have similar aged kids with a bunch of these folks, so there’s carpools, backyard bonfires, the whole deal. It makes living in the suburbs much more pleasant to have a network of friends in walking distance.

Focal Point exhibits at the GIE+EXPO every year, and every year as I stand in our booth and watch the crowd, it's impossible to not notice that this is a male-dominated industry. I don't know any official statistics, but it seems like there are at least 5-6 times more men than women, at least at trade shows and conventions like this GIE.

Last month, Cincinnati lost a fantastic public radio station. WNKU was primarily a roots rock station, with a smattering of Americana, blues, reggae and classic alternative music thrown in for good measure. But the thing that really set them apart was their tremendous support of the local music scene. They played a local artist or band every single hour, and they were an awesome source of information about new upcoming bands in the area. After 33 years of broadcast, they signed off for the final time playing “This Must be the Place” by Talking Heads. For music and radio geeks like me, it was a sad day.

I am the father to a nearly 14 year old son. A son who I love dearly, but who frustrates me frequently. From the time he could communicate, he was right about everything, and very confident in his own opinions. There’s a book title that fit him perfectly: “Often Wrong, Never in Doubt”. That’s the boy.