Most of us probably have a thing or two that we’ve kind of always wanted to do before our cereal bowl full of life gets spilt or soggy. Wanted to do mostly for ourselves, simply because something inside of ourselves has a desire to do it…for whatever reason.

For the first and third Wednesday of each month since November of 2004, I have been writing this column. Due to a traumatizing incident as a child involving a yardstick and a cribbage board that left me wary of all things numerical, and, as such, bereft of any semblance of mathematical ability…I’m not sure how many columns that is? Somewhere between six and a lot is my best guess.

Over the years, a few folks here and there have inquired as to when I was going to write a book or have suggested and encouraged me to do so. Such interactions are humbling, as are any interactions with anyone expressing that they have enjoyed a column. I suppose most of us human types like to hear from other human types that we are somewhat competent at something we’ve chosen to devote a portion of our lives to. So it goes.

So, over those years, I have from time to time entertained the idea of writing a book. When I went into a bookstore, I would think, “Wouldn’t it be neat to see something you’ve written on the shelves,” which was generally followed by the thought, “Look at all these books. Is another one really necessary? Wouldn’t it be “neat” to see your book in the bargain bin or used as a door stop to prop open the men’s room door when the weight of Tolstoy prompts a customer to have disagreement with a burrito?”

On Friday, I went into Mitzi’s Bookstore in Rapid City, and it was neat to see something I had written on their shelves. “Jaunty Hair” is a collection of 98 Ramblings columns and a song.

As I wrote in the book’s dedication, “Writing is a solitary pursuit guided, informed, and inspired by the lives of many. Of those many lives who have guided, informed, and inspired me to write, none have done so more than my family. Special thanks to my wife, Dawn, our children, Sierra and Jackson, the Ellis, Chrest, and Lesnar clans, and the people of Lignite and Burke County. Thank you for your support and encouragement, and for supplying fodder for the Ramblings canon. To the fine folks at the Burke County Tribune, I am forever grateful.”

In the end, I’m not really sure that what I did constitutes “writing a book,” as all I did was slog through six to a lot of columns and compile some of them into a stack of paper between a front and back cover. But it’s something that I’ve kind of always wanted to do…and now it’s done…so that something inside me can put a sock in it for a while.

If you are so inclined, “Jaunty Hair” is available most anywhere books are sold and the Burke County Tribune will have a few copies on hand at the Tribune office in Bowbells. Or, if you find yourself in Rapid City, stop by Mitzi’s Bookstore or our house. If I’m not out on a book tour, giving readings and autographs and waxing poetically about my writing process, I’d be happy to get you a copy.

Thanks for reading.