Independently Speaking

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Honey Mustard
We were going down the road eating fast food, traveling from a tennis match to a volleyball game. The two venues were about 30 miles apart, so we were…
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Brent Olson
2
Important People
Sometimes I think important people don’t realize how unimportant they actually are. A few decades ago, a guy by the name of Robert T. Smith wrote for…
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Brent Olson
1
Sixty-eight
I was raised to not talk about money. When and where I grew up, most people had about the same amount of money, more or less – mostly less. The guy who…
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Brent Olson
6
Labor Day
I was in the mood for a holiday serenade. It was a lovely morning. I’d gone out as the sun was coming up over the slough, said hello to the dog, and let…
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Brent Olson
1
Time Machine
I don’t know much about time machines. In the movies, they seem to be complicated apparatuses with levers and blinking lights. Who knew they could be as…
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Brent Olson
1
August 2023
Picnic Table
About 25 years ago I stopped raising hogs, which meant the hopper bottom bin behind my feed shed became surplus to needs. In an odd coincidence, around…
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Brent Olson
Credentials
Recently I’ve been intrigued by reports about the importance of high-status higher education in the work world. Don’t get me wrong; I’m a big fan of…
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Brent Olson
4
Bucket
The magic is still there. Or maybe it's the mystery. Thanks for reading Independently Speaking! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my…
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Brent Olson
3
For what it's worth...
I brought some sweet corn home from town. We had lettuce and tomatoes in the garden, bacon in the fridge and a fresh loaf of sourdough bread. What to…
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Brent Olson
5
July 2023
Coming in hot...
Life does not get much better than sitting by a fire in the gathering darkness, flames building and bats swooping overhead and hearing an eight-year-old…
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Brent Olson
1
Blueberries
My problems started because 50 years ago, I didn't know I liked blueberries. Not all my problems – I can't blame baldness and alternative jazz on…
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Brent Olson
2
Owner's Manual
I never got my owner's manual. Maybe it got lost in the mail. There's so much I don't know that other people seem to, information that would have been…
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Brent Olson
4
© 2023 Brent Olson
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