An Ounce - For Your Consideration

Well, I’ve never been one to shy away from a good story, even when the historians and other ‘experts’ can’t agree on the details. And, this story… It’s a good one - about the deadliest Sniper ever in the Russian military. The problem – the facts seemed to be in doubt. Some claim it’s all about propaganda. That the record of this Hero of the Soviet Union was padded. In orderder to make the story be...

Corkie Mann shares a story about overcoming the negative labels and tags placed on us. She shares a sweet story as an advocate for one of her children. And, with encouragement, how he overcame challenges and accomplished more than he believed he could.  Corkie talks about never giving up, showing up, and expecting to win.

Like many folks, my wife and I are closet preppers. We try to keep a supply of emergency food and supplies stashed away, just in case. It came in pretty handy during the recent ‘pandemic inspired’ economic shutdown. One of the items we had stashed away was about a decade old, and according to the directions it was within a few years of passing its ‘best if used by’ date. It was a #10 can. That is...

One of the great joys in life, especially during the late summer, is the crunchy, sweet, and buttery satisfaction of good sweet corn on the cob.  In one particular small farming community there lived a brilliant farmer who raised the best sweet corn ever. It seemed every year at the county fair this farmer won the prize for the best corn. He was an institution. There was just no one who could coax...

Have you ever played with one of those little brain teaser puzzles made from two pieces of metal? They are usually intertwined in some way that makes them seem impossible to separate them, but there is a way. It takes finding the right perspective and innovative thinking to figure it out – sometimes the solution appears to be counterintuitive. Once solved the solution seems so simple.  Ever had on...

August 7, 1945, began as such a pleasant day, in spite of the state of the world at that time. Tutsumo Yamaguachi remembers the sound of a single aircraft circling above the city. This was a common occurrence, so he gave it little notice. Then, just a few seconds after 8:15 AM he was knocked off his feet. There was a blinding flash of intense light, followed by a sound so earsplittingly violent it...

It’s kind of interesting how one can get so much more than the words out of a song. It seems to be a more comprehensive way to communicate. Even when the lyrics are nonsense, there is something there – and sometimes even more so when there are no words. My point – communicating is about so much more than words strung together in an attempt to convey meaning. In fact, my experience tells me, that u...

One of those things in US history that is well known - and beyond debate - is the identity of our iconic first President, General George Washington. The one who chopped down the cherry tree and could not tell a lie to get himself out of trouble. The guy who held out during the brutal winter in Valley Forge.  The one who with his troops, crossed the Delaware River and kick the brits butts. The Gene...

Have you ever met someone that has that great attitude? You know. That person who – when life throws them a curveball or an unexpected outcome, they smile, laugh, and somehow find a way to have fun with it. The one who; when they are facing some challenge and you go to visit them and lift their spirits, and they lift you instead. Everyone has met someone like this, they must be born with it. That...

In the mid-1980’s I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force. My job was Firefighter, and the one and only assignment I had was at McChord Air Force Base, in Washington. It was a beautiful place to serve.  On one late afternoon in what I believe was the fall, I was given an interesting assignment. A safety standby for a green engine run on an F-4 Phantom. There I was - standing...

Got an intriguing story about a woman born into an economic and social advantage. For now, we’ll call her ‘the statistician’. Think you can you guess who she is before her name is revealed? You’ve probably heard of her before. The name chosen for her by her parents was that of a rather well-known European city. A naming trend that many parents followed – picking a name from the beautiful and exoti...

From  The Podcasters Wife: This ounce comes from a sweet conversation I had with my Late Father-in-law - Chad Fugate -it was about 25 years ago. He and his wife Marilyn visited our family in the fall when we lived on the east coast. Chad and I went for a walk and we were talking about the beauty of the colorful leaves. Chad said to me, “– hey, you know, those are the true colors of a tree. I never...

Mirrors! We love them and hate them.  They however they are neutral. They don’t care. They don’t hate. They don’t love. They are completely dispassionate. They show us everything we like and everything we don’t about the way we look on the outside.  There is a classic cult movie - The Never-Ending Story – a fantasy loved by the young, and the young at heart worldwide. Our hero, while hiding away f...

I’ve found a well-loved character that is worthy of a deep dive. A deep dive into who he is and where he came from. A truly unique character filled with his own kind of wisdom, and a somewhat surprising perspective on life. Can you guess who it is before his identity is revealed? OTG came to us in 1969, and his personality immediately showed through. OTG was going to be like no one else.  To most...

This bonus episode is being released in addition to the regular weekly episode. It is a brief interview with Podcasters Taylor Greenhalgh and Joseph Winkle. Their podcast is focused on Parenting, from a father's perspective. Their podcast includes great stories and experiences - and ideas - on how to be a better parent.  This interview is an opportunity to get to know them a little and unders...

A thought-provoking narrative - shared in purposeful contrast  - to the episode released last week (The Wedge).  This is a fairly well-known poem from the past, that brilliantly illustrates the concept of what something is really worth. It’s real value -compared to what we often naively suppose. The Poem was penned by Myra Brooks Welch, and Titled ‘The Old Violin’ but is also known by some as the...

I’ve got another thought-provoking story to tell you. It’s an adaption based on Chapter 7 of Earl Nightingales' book, ‘On Success’, a classic book from the early self-improvement collection. The adaption is meant to make the story more relatable to our circumstances today. The setting for the yarn is one of those high-class auction houses where they sell multimillion-dollar paintings, rare an...

Our world is becoming more litigious by the day. And, there have been some consequences of that tendency that we all see, every day, and more and more than ever. It’s getting to the point where we nearly ignore them. And, that’s probably not good because they really are helpful – sometimes. What am I talking about? Those bright yellow, orange, or red images known as warning labels. caution signs,...

Got a question for you. What does it take to be a star and a great performer?  Typical answers might be - A great voice, the ability to be a bit edgy and get people’s attention, A great smile, well-spoken, a cutting-edge wardrobe, be absolutely relatable to what’s happening now, sexy, and educated, with extraordinarily good looks, and a willingness to push societal boundaries.  A lot of the really...

This episode is the true story of a part of the Jewish holocaust in which a bright light of goodness and courage can be found.  During world war II, and after the Germans had invaded Poland, they began to move forward with their 'Final Solution'. The extermination of all Jews.  Part of this plan in Poland displacing and moving Jews from their homes into a single segregated 16 block neigh...

There is an ancient Chinese fable you may have heard before – or maybe not – that tells the story of a simple but wise farmer and his view on Luck - and his consideration of what was bad and what was good over time.   A great story from eons past that has very good application to our lives right now. Bad luck is seldom as bad as it seems, and it sure does make you appreciate the good times. And, g...

In my family, there is a story told about my great grandfather Jens Christian Jensen. A very unique and ingenious man for his time. Great Grandpa was a jack of all trades, raising a family on the alkali and prickly pear cactus flatlands of Emery County, Utah in the late 1800s and early 1900s.  These were an industrious lot who found ways to irrigate arid lands scrape out a living in a place most f...

"Hi! My name is Tish." " My Husband does a podcast, it’s called ‘An Ounce’.  People are always asking what he does, what kind of podcast is it? Where does he gets the ideas? So,  this little episode is kind of an origin story – a quick description of what he does, and what the Podcast is. But, we didn’t want it to be boring.  So, since I’m always asking him questions, and he jokingl...

In this episode, we will talk about the life and background of a famous, or infamous character you’ve probably heard of. His unlikely story is rather remarkable.  Can you guess who it is before I tell you? Tim was born centuries ago into a society of violence and scarcity. Frankly, he had about as rough a start as one can. The tribes in the region were constantly battling with each other, and stea...

The carpenter grew older, and tired, and decided it was time for him to retire. The hammer was beginning to grow heavy, the saw less sharp, and the markings on the boards were a little harder to see. The quality of his work continued at the highest level, but he did not want to stop after his work was not as fine – before his reputation was diminished.  He would be missed. But it was time, now he...