Gary Dickson
Bio
I'm a retired mental health counselor, newspaper editor, and photojournalist. I write stories about Great Plains living, recovery, odd observations, and conversations with my cat, Willie. My wife often tells me I'm an amusement to myself.
Stories (2)
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Did 'Divine Aid' Kill All the Hoppers Near Jefferson, SD?
The first seven years of the 1870s decade were darned good ones . . . if you happened to be a grasshopper in the Dakotas. Not so much if you were a human living in and around places like Elk Point, Richland, McCook, and Adelscat -- which eventually became Jefferson -- or anywhere else in what is now eastern South Dakota.
By Gary Dickson4 years ago in FYI
Ask Not For Whom The Therapist Knocks. (He knocks for thee.)
It was late on an August afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa -- a city that's not as bad as it smells. The late summer temps had been flirting with the century mark that week and the humidity made it feel like a YMCA steam room. Of course, the cicadas enjoyed the weather. They'd crawled out of the ground sometime during the last week. Most of us hoped the smell from the few remaining packing plants and rendering operations would choke the little bastards before school started next week. No such luck, though. The meaty, winged insects were cheerfully whirring away in a rising and falling buzz. A local TV news reporter said last night that it's the males of the species that make the most noise. She said they make their wings vibrate loudly in order to attract females.
By Gary Dickson4 years ago in Journal
