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Thoughts from a shade tree mechanic
Category: Uncategorized
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When I was a kid, our summer trips to Montana were like stepping into another world—one that smelled of pine, coffee, and a touch of diesel fuel. It might’ve been Lewistown or Great Falls; the two have blurred together in my memory like old film reels left too long in the sun. What I do…
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My mom had a thing for science. Not the ordinary kind of “I like volcano projects” science—no, she was the full-blown, chemical-engineer-at-Rockwell, safety-goggle-wearing, slide-rule-carrying kind. If something could bubble, fizz, or blow up with sufficient planning and a well-timed “stand back,” she was all in. When she became a science teacher at Parks Junior High,…
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Carolyn Sue Ratzlaff was born in Tonkawa, Oklahoma, where the red dirt seemed to stain everything but your spirit. She came into this world as one of a matching pair—a twin—and from the very beginning she had that spark that makes life brighter for everyone around it. Her early years were spent on a dairy…
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Somewhere north of Barstow, Dad spotted the first junk store sign. I could tell by the way his head tilted that our “quick trip” to Montana was about to turn into an archaeological expedition through America’s rust belt. Dad believed junk stores were “full of treasures if you’ve got the eye for it.” I’ve since…
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It was early July of 1986, and Mammoth, California, looked like it had been hand-painted by Norman Rockwell’s mountain cousin—bright blue sky, green pines, and the faint smell of trout and campfire smoke in the air. Our family had made the annual pilgrimage to meet the Kohnos, our long-time fishing partners and family friends. The…
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Growing up in the 1970s in Orange County was a lot like being in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting—if Norman had added a Ford F-250 with a camper, a ’65 VW Bug that followed us around like an eager puppy, and a pile of dusty rocks that my parents swore were fascinating specimens.…
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My dad and I once embarked on what we optimistically called a “road trip” and what anyone else would’ve recognized as a cross-country exercise in mutual endurance, caffeine consumption, and bad decision-making. The plan was simple: drive from California to Kansas to visit my sister at her farm outside Wichita. Along the way, we’d scour…
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Something I wrote long ago, never shared but always treasured. Growing up, I was convinced that the finest vehicle ever to roll off the Ford assembly line wasn’t some fancy sports car or city slicker sedan—it was our two-tone sky-blue-and-white Ford F-250 with a camper mounted on the back like a proud crown. That truck…
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Today, I come before You seeking Your strength and guidance.In my world of systems, networks, and endless tickets,I know there will be outages, deadlines, and moments of chaos.Help me to face them with a calm heart and a steady mind. When systems fail and alarms go off,keep me from panic and frustration.Give me clarity to…
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By Wade Ratzlaff There are times in every man’s life when he looks at everything he owns, piles it all up, and thinks, “This should probably go in the back of a 1930 Model AA truck and be driven up the coast at a stately 35 miles an hour.” Most men, of course, never follow…
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