Fletcher Friday Five

One Hour a Week: When I was a kid, there were stretches when I lived with my grandparents. I’ll never forget my grandpa reading National Geographic to me. I still subscribe. And every Sunday night, my grandparents watched 60 Minutes. I sat on a little stool between their chairs and watched with them. I can still hear that ticking clock. For them, it was part of knowing what was happening in the world. A lot has changed since then. Gallup found that only 28 percent of Americans trust the media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. I understand why. Too much sensationalism. Too much chasing clicks. Too many people deciding what the story is before they go report it. My own faith in the media has been seriously eroded over the past few years. But 60 Minutes always seemed a little above that. An institution. Then came the recent turmoil and the decision to get rid of trusted voices. I figured I could find something else to do with that hour on Sunday. I recently saw that Sebastian Junger is joining 60 Minutes as a contributor. I’ve followed Junger for a long time and am fortunate to have gotten to know him. He has spent years covering war and the people who fight it. He has a point of view, but he does the work and I trust him. He also repeats a line that I really like, “Journalists don’t tell people what to think. They tell people what to think about.” That seems like a pretty good job description. Maybe 60 Minutes is worth another look. I’ll be tuning in. Hopefully they haven’t changed the tick, tick, tick of that old-school stopwatch.

Who Really Runs the Ranch: Sophia is my mare and, as this video makes clear, apparently also the ranch foreman. I was trying to get some work done, but she wanted some attention. Spend enough time around horses and there is no mistaking that each has a personality. Sophia’s message was pretty clear: stop working and pay attention to me.

Not All Heroes Wear Capes: A guy was stopped at an intersection when he saw a man in a wheelchair struggling to cross the road, so he jumped out of his Jeep and helped him across. Did I mention he was dressed as Spider-Man? The traffic camera caught the whole thing. He had just gotten off work at a trampoline park, perhaps that explains the suit. But regardless, good dude. He was driving in full costume, mask included, and of course did his interviews the same way. :)

Friday Night Lights: A little football last Friday night. It was a fundraiser, and the high school football team played the third and fourth grade team. The “littles” took the title. There may have been some favorable officiating involved. But watching high school football players get pancaked by peewee blockers was fun. Just a fun Friday night in a small town.

Pink Skies: As I was finishing up this week’s Friday Five, I saw this happening outside my window. I took a minute to go outside and take it in. I dropped an item about old people and their tattoos to share this photo (maybe next week). This kind of sunrise often comes from a thin layer of altostratus clouds possibly mixed with some higher cirrostratus (I really like my clouds). “Pink Skies” are a good way to start your day and a touching song by Zach Bryan! Try not to miss the pink skies in your life.

If something in this week’s Friday Five made you think, smile, or want to send it to someone else, please leave a comment and let me know!

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Have a great weekend.
Nathan