my mother seems to think i am just like her brother, my uncle Collier. she decided this quite suddenly when i decided to go into town. wearing sandals. with ‘dirty’ toes. apparently by uncle did the same when he was my age. i happen to feel honored by this comparison. my uncle Collier was a guitar-playing hippie, who then went on into the Air Force and is now a guitar-playing Mennonite with a great family. if i am like my uncle Collier, dirty toenails are a badge of honor. it means i’m getting grimy with the dirt of a life well-lived and grubby feet symbolize my involvement in day to day experience. people with clean toenails are the ones who stay on the concrete path and watch people like my uncle and myself out there living. How are your toenails looking?