Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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HELP NEEDED
A local news station this week reported a truck driver helped police save the life of a teen boy who jumped from an overpass. The driver stopped the truck under the overpass and the boy landed on top of the trailer. This saved the young man’s life. It was reported the boy was getting help.…
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THE GOATNAPPER
This is a post from the Butch blog on this site. The dog, Butch, and the goat, Nanny, were our pets. The Goatnapper We went upstate for Christmas in 1970. While we were gone someone moved a mobile home into one of the few wooded areas around us. The house was not visible from the…
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TO WHO?
The five-year-old entered kindergarten with bright eyes and a wide smile. He looked around the room with a curious expression that seemed to say he was ready to learn and he would have fun. He did learn and he did have fun. He was a quick learner always eager to go on the next…
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GRIEF
The fifth- grade girl had a sad expression when she entered her classroom. She was distracted and unable to focus on her work. Finally, the teacher asked if she had a problem. The girl told her that her aunt died. The teacher asked if she wanted to go to the counselor’s office. The girl thought…
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GOOD NEIGHBORS
We moved into our Stephenville home in December 2000. Several days later we awoke to snow-covered ground. We were drinking our morning coffee when we saw two strangers in the front yard. They were building a snowman. Neighbors had come to welcome us. The couple became good friends. We shared many cups of coffee and…
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Small Town Cops
Citizens felt safe in Breckenridge in the 1940s and 1950s. The town had three policemen (no women in those days), a chief of police, and one patrol car. I believe the chief also had a car. There was a designated parking space for the car at the intersection of Walker Street and Breckenridge Avenue. The…
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CAT SKINNERS
Ken came in the door and announced, “I hired a cat skinner.” I had no idea what he meant. I was certain he was not going to skin cats and sell the pelts. “You did what?” “I hired a cat skinner, a dozer operator.” We had moved to Abilene. Ken and his dad had bought…
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Recommendations
I first read “Three Letters From Teddy” in 1987. The superintendent of the school district where I was employed felt all teachers and staff should read the story. I agreed with him then, and I still do. The story was written by Elizabeth Silance Ballard. About a month ago I had the privilege and pleasure…
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The Grandma With The Dogs
Our oldest great-granddaughter was telling one of her aunts how many grandmas she had. She gave this description of me, “You know, the grandma with all of the dogs.” At that time we had five dogs. Each dog had a distinct personality. This brought about some interesting interactions. How did we end up with five…
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THE LITTLE WHITE CHURCH ON THE PRAIRIE with comments by Mary Newton Maxwell
My paternal grandmother, Lenora McCreary Williams, was born and grew up in Parker County, Texas. She referred to the land as rolling prairie. When she was eight years old, her parents, William Rankin and Avis McCreary, joined the Grindstone Branch of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church by letter. The year was 1871 I first saw the…
Got any book recommendations?