Ralph Gardner Jr.

I experienced a brief, uncharacteristic and one might argue unwarranted burst of political optimism a few nights ago and it wasn’t the alcohol. The approximate cause was an article in the Atlantic by the astute Irish observer of the American political scene Fintan O’Toole. “What The Founders Would Say Now,” read the title.

On several evenings last week I was doing what I arguably do best. I was sitting on our deck at sunset enjoying a vodka on the rocks with a beer chaser, nibbling on curried cashews and alternately reading about the demise of democracy on my phone and watching the occasional jet fly by high overhead.

If I said that circumstances compelled me to buy my new Polaris Ranger UTV (that’s a Utility Task Vehicle) I’d be lying. Nobody really needs a UTV such as a Polaris or a John Deere Gator unless they own a working farm or a Montana ranch where distances aren’t measured in feet but in miles.

Some artists, scientists, writers and philosophers are simply ahead of their time. Think Galileo, Da Vinci, Einstein and Kevin Lippert. Kevin’s name doesn’t ring any bells?

My daughter Lucy tries to create a new adventure for her two-and-a-half-year-old twins, every day. I know.

What was I thinking when I bought a California coast redwood tree online?

I’ve been suffering wardrobe insecurity lately. I’m fine with my old clothes and rarely buy new ones. But my wife recently criticized the way I was dressing for an afternoon art opening.

As much as one might appreciate fall, summer is hard to part with. The heat isn’t always fun but there’s something to be said for walking around with a minimum of clothing.

I have a thing for Wyoming, where I visited last week. If it wasn’t the location of the first hike that I ever took many years ago, it was the first hike that proved that walking long distances over reasonably strenuous terrain need not be a torturous experience.

Eric Wilska said something in passing that I thought profound as he showed me around Shaker Mill Books. “Nobody can throw a book away,” he told me.