with Harrison Beillor     LISTEN The Whispering Cloud by Guy Bouchard I lied on my back in the front yard Watching a Cloud. I thought it was a nice Cloud It was a puffy Cloud Until it whispered to me… It said, Why the hell are you lying there looking at me? Who are you to judge me? Who are ...

with Harrison Beillor    LISTEN The Lonely Fish by Morris Klinkmen I watched a salmon run today. He didn’t have shoes, He wasn’t very fast, He might have been a she… How do you know? I never saw its feet. Fish don’t have feet… Do they? But they run. How do they do th...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com It was February 26, 2009.  In the language and psyche of Minnesota, this was to be . . . The Day.  Snowmageddon.  Snow Emergency.  The End is Upon Us.  You betcha, we’re in trouble. The lines at the stores were insane.  People buying all the eggs,...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com It all started out like a great idea.  You drive up and order.  You drive a little further and pay.  Then you wait patiently before you receive what you’ve ordered.  And within minutes, you’re on your way.  Coffee, food, prescriptions, even alc...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com When I was growing up, I played sports.  Basketball was what I eventually settled on by high school but prior to that I also played baseball and ran track.  When there was a tournament during the year or the playoffs at the end of the season, there were winne...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com WARNING: The following 1120 words have been approved for all reading audiences by the Council for a Healthier Colon.  If you need to leave this post at any time due to feeling uncomfortable, rest assured you are not nearly as uncomfortable as I was during my 2...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com Part 2 of The Christmas Spirit and Customer Service.  Part 1 was published December 8, 2007 I look forward to the month of December and Christmas more than any other time of the year.  The  music, the decorations, the meaning of the holiday, the snow - so m...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com The Phillip Fulmer Era at the University of Tennessee  has ended.  The final statement in his long tenure on the Vols sideline was a 28-10 win over Kentucky.  After several Gatorade showers, a brief interview on ESPN and lots of hugs, smiles and a few tears...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com Every year in late November families and friends gather to eat, watch football, eat a little more and watch even more football.  It happens on a Thursday, usually early in the afternoon.  Sometimes there’s wine and other assorted alcoholic beverages to g...

By Christopher Gabriel , CGabriel.com It’s deer hunting season here in Minnesota.  The first shot was fired sometime around dawn on Saturday, November 8.  More than 500,000 hunters go after deer annually throughout the Land of 10,000 Lakes.  Similarly, the first shots already have been fi...