Richard Crowson

This is treehouse weather. The hot, dog days of summer. The right weather for climbing up into the deep green shade of an oak tree’s canopy. Sweet relief.

God bless Bela Fleck. He has reached the pinnacle of success in the banjo world. By that I mean that his is so well-respected by musicians of every stripe that he can speak the truth.

This commentary originally aired on July 15, 2016

I got tired of tripping over our old dining chairs, stored in our basement. We replaced them months ago, but I tend to hang onto things too long. This past Saturday, we put all seven out by the curb with a sign saying “free.”

Throughout the day, I’d glance out the window, expecting them to be gone. But, no. There they sat, as cars impertinently flew by.

You think you know somebody and then they slap you right in the face with their “Make America Great Again” cap. This happened to me recently in a conversation I was having with my dog Lucy.

Do we really need a “Space Force”? Extremely Stable Genius Donald Trump seems to think so, and that should be good enough for most of us.

This commentary originally aired on April 4, 2018.

Some months ago we decided to add to our family and we adopted a labradoodle. His calm and demure personality at the time caused us to name him Perry. It was in honor of Perry Como, the calm and demure crooner from years ago.

You're listening to me right now, so you may be aware of the latest NPR controversy: The new Morning Edition theme song.

Hey! Remember Reddy Kilowatt? Loved that guy! What a stroke of genius it was for electrical monopolies to adopt a cute little cartoon figure mascot.

But as I’ve been following a local controversy involving Westar, I’ve been mindful of a glaring omission in their public relations. They don’t have a cute little cartoon mascot of their own.

And, boy, does Westar need an image-softening cute little cartoon mascot right now.

Right now. Right in the earliest, blooming-est, greening-est weeks of springtime, the season of rejuvenation, right now comes a soul-wilting tragedy: the devastating fire at France’s Notre Dame Cathedral.