My son is a Boy Scout. Hopefully, he will become an Eagle Scout like his dad, his grandpa, his uncle, and not to mention eleven of the twelve men that walked on the moon. Whether he does or not, it has been an honor seeing the program help him and other boys mature into responsible young men.

Summer is a great time to enjoy tomatoes fresh off the vine. There are so many wonderful ways to enjoy tomatoes from a bacon, lettuce, tomato sandwich, to mixing them with mozzarella and balsamic glaze, to roasting them on the grill. Other ways might include omelets topped with tomatoes, a fresh salsa or putting them in a pasta salad.

When Volleyball Day in Nebraska was announced and tickets put on the market, we had an opportunity to take our entire family, but with schedules being schedules on a Wednesday night, we declined. Doggonit.

During the South Dakota Festival of Books, I listened to a group of five successful novelists discussing the art of writing and what they gained from creating those words. They all seemed to agree with journalist Malcolm Gladwell, who said that it takes some talent, but more importantly, about 10,000 hours of practice to become good at anything. They each also said that writing has given them joy and humor, an understanding about life and a sense of meaning.

Gardener are beginning to harvest the produce from the gardens they planted in May. One of the first vegetables to be harvested is cucumbers. Cucumbers are plentiful right now either from your home garden, at a farmer’s market, from your neighbors, or in the grocery stores. They are a welcome addition to meals this time of year and can be prepared in a variety of ways.

We have a good public education system in Nebraska: it is usually one of the top twenty systems in the nation, yet there is always room for improvement. It would be great if we could once again be a top 5 school system in the nation, and that is what we must strive to achieve.

As part of the August state work period, I’ve had the pleasure of working back home in Nebraska and traveling the state. All month, I’ve been hearing from my fellow Nebraskans about what they want to see happening in the U.S. Senate. August is always the best month of the year for me, because my favorite part of being your Senior Senator is getting to hear about Nebraskans’ lives and priorities. I take each of these conversations back to Washington with me and factor them into my legislative work.

I recently attended a wind farm meeting in Farnam, NE, hosted by individuals from Dawson County, NE. They were seeking petition signatures in a last ditch effort to stop the development of weird turbine’s in their county. I think, and they by their own admission, are too late.

Assuring effective health care to a population is a challenge for every society. As care options become more complex – and expensive – the challenges increase.

You know those things that you don’t think will be sentimental to you until they are? After returning to my office this morning from some errands, I saw that my insurer had finally sent the truck to collect a pair of my vehicles that were totaled in the late-June hail storm.