Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Presidents

February 6, 2026

I want you to understand that this series of articles is about all forty-five presidents and not just the two who have birthdays in February. You know some, and others are a mystery to us. We need to learn about all these men before Presidents’ Day.

We all know our first president, who was elected from 1789 to 1797. He had been the Commander-in-Chief of the Patriot forces from the beginning of the war. This position was also given to the president by the newly ratified constitution. George Washington was not affiliated with a political party, even though he seemed to agree with most of the Federalists.

John Adams was Washington’s Vice President for his two terms. He was a Federalist and was elected as the second President and served from 1797 to 1801, when he was defeated by his Vice President, Thomas Jefferson. His stance on the French and Indian War was supposedly the reason.

Jefferson served from 1801 to 1809 as our third President. Jefferson is best known as a Federalist, but his party was listed as Jeffersonian when he ran against Adams. He was the second choice, and that is why he became Vice President. During his terms, we purchased what is called the Louisiana Purchase. This land is now occupied by our Midwest states.

The fourth President elected was James Madison, who served from 1809 to 1817. He was a Democratic-Republican and instrumental in the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The War of 1812 began in his first term and ended after he was elected to a second term.

James Monroe took office in 1817 and served as our fifth President until 1825. Monroe was also a Democratic-Republican. The Monroe Doctrine limited European colonialism in the Americas. It is said that he wished to continue pushing across our continent.

In 1824, the election was split between four candidates. No one had an electoral majority. As per the Constitution, the House of Representatives chose John Quincy Adams as the next President. He had served under the first five previous Presidents and was the oldest son of John Adams. He served from 1825 to 1829. John Clay, one of his opponents, was chosen as Secretary of State.

In the next election in 1828, another of his opponents defeated him. Andrew Jackson was a hero of the War of 1812. The deciding factor in defeating Adams was that Clay had been appointed to a high office, which was pointed out as an attempt to deceive the voters. Jackson was our first Democrat President. He served as seventh in line until 1837.

Martin Van Buren ran as Vice President in 1932 with Jackson. After four years as second in command, the Democrats nominated him, and he won the election and became the eighth President in 1837. Van Buren’s bid for his second term resulted in defeat due to the recession that began after he took office, and he was defeated by William Henry Harrison. We will continue next time with him.

I’m in marketing, you want management

February 5, 2026

I began my career as a full-time minister of the gospel in the 1970’s. I have been studying and learning my trade for over five decades. When I think about what I knew then, I am amazed at how little it was. As I ponder my entry into the presence of God, at the time of my death, in another forty or fifty years, I consider how small my grasp of who God really is. At that time, I will join those same people who taught me about him sixty years ago.

When I started my journey through God’s word, I was in my teens. My life of service and ministry has taught me a great deal. Years ago, a friend asked me why God did certain things. The question was about why bad things happen to good people. I did not know the answer. I still do not understand everything about Jehovah. My answer to these inquiries is the same as on that day. “I’m in sales; you want management.”

The ones who are in the upper echelon of every Christian denomination should use the same response. Even the Pope is a representative of Jesus Christ and not the head of the church. We forget that. We try to defend Yahweh and His actions. That is not our job. Our job is to explain what we find in the Bible. I do need to explain to you why things happen the way they do in our world today.

Those are the things that I am still learning from the scriptures. He tells us who He is and why He must work the way He does. My job is to listen to what He says and share those thoughts with you. My ideas are not original. Many others can tell you exactly what I am saying. I may express it differently from others.

Your job is to take what I and other ministers or scholars tell you and check the Bible to be sure we know the Lord the way He reveals Himself in the Word. You do not want to believe in Him because of incorrect information. One of the first things I must tell you is some of the things that He will not do when you become a born-again believer.

As a salesman in the secular world, my job was to promote the products I sold. My employer was wrong if he or she wanted me to lie about the advantages of those items. To be able to tell them what it would do and what it would not do, I had to study the information that was provided about it. I read specification sheets, technical data sheets, and catalogs. I even looked at items being used by customers and, in some cases, used them myself to understand how they performed. I have done exactly that for over fifty years with God.

You will not become perfect. That means you will continue to sin. I know some teach that if you cannot stop sinning, you are not really a believer. Read the Bible. It tells us that if you say you are no longer sinning, you are deceived. Jesus died for our past, present, and future errors.

You will have trials, and others will not treat you perfectly. This is the way it works with fallen humanity. I’m sorry it must be this way, but it just is. Christ can help us get through the tough times if we will let Him.

Where did I see them?

February 4, 2026

You are watching videos, TV shows, or streaming a movie. It doesn’t matter what decade the film or program was made in; they all have faces that we have seen before. During the 1960s, this was a favorite game for dad and mom when they were watching with us

Dad always pointed out the wagon master on “Wagon Train” and Ronald Reagan as the host of “Death Valley Days.” That was before Mr. Reagan became the President of the United States or even the Governor of California. Mom could tell us which actors had been on a soap opera.

My wife and I have been saying this for years. In the 1970s and 80s, we watched “The Love Boat,” an anthology series where almost every former TV and movie star could be seen. I’m sure some of these cost them twenty or thirty dollars, and the big ones as much as a grand. No one got rich except the advertisers.

This was in the days of T and A. Look it up on YouTube if you do recognize that entertainment term. There were many bikini-clad women, if that gives you a clue. Who was on it?

Captain Stubing was played by Gavin MacLeod, and we remembered him as Murray from the “Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Doc was from “Get Smart” and was played by Bernie Kopell. He played a recurring CAOS Agent.

When it comes to the weekly guest stars, the most common were Monty O’Grady and the Love Boat Mermaids, which included Terry Hatcher and others. They appeared in nineteen shows. We know Terri from Lois and Clark and Desperate Housewives, but she began as a mermaid.

Monty began his career in the “Our Gang” series and was a bit player on shows like Charlie’s Angels, Columbo, Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, and many others, and in movies from the 1920s through the 1990s. Don’t look for him in the credits. He is usually a minor character, like a waiter or passenger, which is the part he played in twenty-one episodes of The Love Boat.

Remember Marion Ross, who played Mrs. Cunningham on Happy Days. She became the captain’s wife and was on fourteen episodes. Florence Henderson was on board ten times after she left The Brady Bunch. Charo, Rue McClanahan, Erin Moran, and Connie Stephens each made it nine times.

Patti MacLeod, the ex-wife of the actor who played the captain, was on eight times. Bert Convy, Linda Evans, Carol Channing, Robert Reed, and Donnie Most sailed seven times. Some remember Peter Graves, Milton Berle, Michelle Lee, Lisa Hartman, Ethel Merman, Richard Cline, and Jimmy J.J. Walker, who also portrayed many different characters.

Am I boring you with all these names? Dick Van Patten, Don Adams, Mellissa Sue Anderson, Sonny Bono, Vicky Lawrence, and Tom Bosley may be more familiar to you. Do you get the idea? They booked many different age groups of former and future celebrities.

You may recognize Betty White, Harry Morgan, Harvey Korman, Loretta Switt, Debbie Reynolds, John Astin, Jamie Farr, Cesar Romero, Jayne Wyatt, MacLean Stephenson, Dawn Wells, Bob Denver, Patty Duke, Lorne Green, Will Geer, Mark Harmon, Rich Little, Jim Stafford, Donnie Osmond, Shirley Jones, Janet Jackson, Gene Kelly, Tom Hanks, Frankie Avalon, Michael J. Fox, or Hayley Mills.

If none of these people sound familiar, check back with me later. We’ll discuss some other series where I will drop some more names that I think you will recognize. Some programs begin stars while others remember their careers like Ricky Nelson.

Becoming your parents

February 3, 2026

You’ve seen the commercials. An insurance company tells us that young homeowners are in danger of becoming their parents. Is that such a bad option? I remember the first time I looked in my bathroom mirror, shaving one morning, and saw my Dad staring back at me.

Over the years, I have noticed many of Mom and Dad’s habits and mannerisms that I have picked up. There are some that I try not to emulate. Dad would cross his feet when he sat watching TV. Mine are currently crossed as I work on my laptop.

One of the things in these commercials is the friendliness and ability to speak with others. I have friends whose children have these attributes, except their parents do not. If it is offensive to you for someone to be outgoing, maybe you need to rethink why.

Another scene in these ads involves the homeowner encountering a celebrity. They do nothing embarrassing other than, once again, being friendly. Indeed, this man is not portrayed as knowing how to take a selfie with his phone. The famous man shows him how to change the camera view.

Some of these early spots have obnoxious actions. Pushing food onto guests as they leave a party when they do not want it. Stopping drivers as they go down the street and blocking traffic. Telling others how to do everything from grilling to starting a campfire, or what to order at a restaurant.

These are annoying habits that some have. Blaming your parents for being this way is insulting to those of us who have children who are now homeowners. I am proud of the ways my kids turned out. My sons-in-law tells dad jokes. My daughters and grandchildren even tell my old stories.

I consider imitation to be the greatest form of flattery. These kinds of copying of others might be considered creepy by some. We are led to believe that this behavior is unintentional. We all have pet peeves. Friends or family do things that agitate us. Having a therapist make a living by criticizing patients is probably against their professional rules.

It is a good thing that the part is played by an actor, and these are not based on true stories. Many things we see on TV and in movies show rude or annoying behavior. The problem comes when a project shows illegal activity as perfectly acceptable.

Today is Ground Hog Day

February 2, 2026

That is correct. This is February second and it is the traditional day when we turn to Punxsutawney, PA, and watch Phil XXVI come out and not see his shadow. This year, it was sunny in Pennsylvania. The report that was read was that the rodent had seen its shadow. As this was read, he was held up and deprived of the sleep he wanted for the next six weeks. That part of the day is over. Now what? If, like me, you have the day off, you need to fill your day.

Hunters, this would be a good day to go out and shoot every groundhog you can find. Vengeance for causing six more weeks of winter seems to be justified. Or is it? Varmints do not control the weather. What is winter, anyway? It is a season. One of the four that the angle at which the Earth rotates causes. This creature can’t change anything, especially what season it is. Fortunately, today is not groundhog season.

You could always watch the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray. It is fun to view, but have you thought about the lessons it teaches? The weatherman played by Murray is obnoxious, opinionated, and selfish. No one would refer to him as kind, generous, and selfless. The replay of the same day forces all that to change. Think about yourself. What improvements need to be made in your character?

Meals today should be easy. One main ingredient must be in at least one of them. Today you must eat ground hogs. That’s correct. You must honor the groundhogs of America by eating sausage, which is made from ground hogs. No turkey, chicken, or tofu will do today. Pure pork sausage is what we need today on Ground Hog Day.

Thank you, Jimmy Dean. I guess you can substitute some other form of ground hog. I have seen ground pork or Boston burger, which is a combination of pork and beef. Have you purchased deviled ham or spam in cans? They are both ground ham products, and we all know ham is another pork product.

Some other ways to celebrate the day are to help eliminate the pork that is in our government. The only way to do this is to put people in office who have no affiliation with political parties that owe favors to those who want government money paid for their services.

We all know honest people. Ask some of them to run for your local offices and support their campaigns. My suggestion is to get them to register as non-partisan or any party but Republicans and Democrats. Send the porkers in government back to their holes.

November is the time to dig them out of their dens like they do to Phil every year on February second. This year, it will be the second Tuesday in November to pull the hogs out of their offices. Then maybe next year spring will come early. I hope so.

Soft Peanut Butter Cookies

February 1, 2026

Can you believe a cookie that is soft and can be modified almost as universally as you wish?

Ingredients:

1 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

Chocolate chips, Kisses, Rolos, M&Ms, or any candy

Instructions

Mix peanut butter, egg, and vanilla, and drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Place one of your candies on top of the dough or push it inside, and roll the dough ball around it before it is set on the pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Remember, how I said you could modify it? A mini–Reese’s Cup, Milk Dud, caramel, gummy bear, peanut, or anything else you want could be added in or on these soft cookies. Do not press with a fork, and remove from the cookie sheet five minutes after removing from the oven. Enjoy.

Listen

January 31, 2026

My wife accuses me of not listening to her. She is correct at times. Occasionally, I listen and pay attention, and cannot repeat what she just said. I would like to claim this is due to hearing impairment or memory loss. I’ve done this for fifty years.

Today, I would like to emphasize this word in the business community. I spent over forty years in business on both sides of phone calls and both sides of desks. I hate to tell you the times that I have had to repeat myself because someone was not paying attention.

I dislike wasting time. Telling someone something and then being asked about that same thing later is insulting and aggravating. I am sure that I will do this for some of you. We should all try a little harder to avoid this problem.

I was once told I was the best Customer Service Representative (CSR) in my region. That was not my job title. I was the operations manager for my branch. At that time, I had been doing the branch manager’s job for at least a year without extra pay or acknowledgement.

As a branch manager, you are expected to be an outside salesman. I performed this job function for three years before I returned as the office manager for over ten years, at that time. I had three years’ experience, and she had virtually none. I tried to convey this to my boss, but he did not want to listen to what I had to say.

Another way is that some listen to you but do not respond favorably to your suggestions. They may even tell you it is not a good idea. When your suggestion is implemented, you discover that the person who said it was not worthwhile has taken the credit.

Years ago, I read a book called “The Peter Principle,” which promoted the idea that most companies promoted employees beyond their capabilities and terminated them when they failed. The problem I saw with Dr. Peter’s concept was that I had worked for more upper managers who were kept even after they showed their incompetence.

The higher officers gave the tasks these people could not accomplish to underlings and seldom paid them the money the added responsibilities should have demanded. To me, this was more of a problem than the fact that incompetence brought termination. That is a problem that could be rectified by listening.

Failing to advance those who show competence is also a listening problem. These lower workers tell others that they can do the more difficult tasks. The big bosses do not want to admit the mistakes they made. If they promote someone else, then those folks might eventually take their positions.

Keep your ears open and pay attention to everyone and what they want out of life. The mistakes that others make are not a reason for you to follow their example, but the motivation for us to prove we are better and will continue to listen.

Wouldn’t it be nice

January 30, 2026

“Wouldn’t it be nice” is just one of many songs from my childhood and youth that are currently used in today’s media. This one is found in a commercial. This is a Beach Boys tune that has a young man speaking to his girl, talking about how great it would be to be older and be able to be an adult. How many movies have we seen about kids who are suddenly adults?

I’d like to take this idea to its justifiable fruition. When I was listening to this song as a teenager, I wanted to someday get married and have a family. Not until after I graduated from college and was on my way to becoming a journalist.

Then Jesus convinced me that it would be better to follow what He thought I should do. I changed majors and aspirations for my future and completed my degree as a preacher’s son. I had every intention of attending seminary and even made plans to marry my fiancé so that we could move in together.

That was not His plan. We got married, and the job I had taken before graduating moved me into a management trainee position. Two weeks after the wedding, I was told we were moving. We spent a little over a year there and decided, “Wouldn’t it be nice” to move back to Springfield.

That is what we did. Then we decided that we wanted to stop renting and buy a home. We went to work and remodeled it, and three children later, sold it and purchased a larger home. We have slept together for almost fifty years now. I think we have earned the right to brag about that.

Our dreams of becoming grown-ups have come true. Not because someone granted our wish. We did it with God’s help and instruction. Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that? If that is what you want, follow our lead and get ‘er done.

There have been many opportunities that we have had in this lifetime. We have served our family, friends, and Lord in many diverse ways. Neither of us went to jail, but we did serve on juries. We also have never run for a political office, but we do work as election judges.

Now, it would be nice to make it to our fiftieth anniversary later this year. We have talked about going on a cruise someday or riding a train farther than a few miles on scenic trips. Cindy might want to take a balloon ride or go skydiving. She would need to do this without me. I have acrophobia.

No matter what age you are, you should always have hopes and ambitions. Think of something that you want to do and have not tried yet. It would be my wish that you accept Jesus as your savior and Lord sometime soon. I hope you have a friend or family member who can show you how.

Mr. Green Jeans

January 29, 2026

He spent 29 years teaching children about kindness, patience, and gentleness.

Then he died.

And most people never even knew his real name.

To millions of children, he was simply Mr. Green Jeans.

His name was Hugh Brannum.

He was born on January 5, 1910, in Sandwich, Illinois. His parents expected him to become a lawyer. He did exactly that, earning a law degree and preparing for a respectable, predictable life.

Then Hugh picked up a bass.

Music pulled him away from courtrooms and contracts and into a life of sound, rhythm, and storytelling. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he toured with Fred Waring and His Pennsylvanians, one of the most popular big bands in America. He wasn’t just technically skilled, he was warm, engaging, and gifted at connecting with people. Between songs, he told stories. He learned how to hold an audience without rushing them.

Radio followed. There, Hugh honed something even more important than performance: the ability to reach people gently, using only his voice. That quiet skill would become his greatest strength.

In the early 1950s, Hugh found himself in New York, just as television was being invented in real time. It was there he met Bob Keeshan, a young performer fresh off Howdy Doody, who was developing a radical idea for a children’s show.

Keeshan didn’t want noise.

He didn’t want chaos.

He wanted calm.

He envisioned a show that treated children with respect—one that moved slowly, spoke softly, and teaching without lecturing.

In 1955, CBS launched Captain Kangaroo.

Bob Keeshan became the captain—a gentle figure with a mustache and a jacket full of oversized pockets, living in a magical place called the Treasure House. But he needed someone else. Someone warm. Someone patient. Someone genuine.

He cast Hugh Brannum as Mr. Green Jeans.

The name came from the costume—green denim jeans and farmer’s overalls. But the character came from Hugh himself. Mr. Green Jeans was a farmer and handyman who lived nearby and visited often, bringing animals with him—rabbits, chickens, goats—and a quiet respect for the natural world.

He never rushed.

He never raised his voice.

He never talked down to children.

When he brought a rabbit, he showed children how to hold it gently. When he brought chickens, he explained where they lived and what they ate. He assumed children could understand if given time and patience.

That approach was revolutionary.

At a time when children’s television was loud, frantic, and filled with slapstick, Captain Kangaroo slowed everything down. There was room to wonder. Room to think. Room to learn.

And Mr. Green Jeans embodied that philosophy perfectly.

The show aired weekday mornings for nearly three decades—from 1955 to 1984—over 7,000 episodes. Entire generations grew up watching it. Parents who had once sat cross-legged in front of the television were now turning it on for their own children.

Behind the scenes, Hugh Brannum did far more than play Mr. Green Jeans. He performed multiple characters, contributed music, and served as the show’s musical backbone. His bass, his storytelling instincts, and his calm presence shaped the program’s soul.

Yet almost no one recognized him.

On the street, Hugh Brannum was invisible. Put him in overalls, though, and millions of children knew exactly who he was. And that was enough for him.

He never sought celebrity. He understood that Mr. Green Jeans wasn’t about being known, it was about being useful. About offering children a steady, kind presence in a world that often moved too fast.

In the early 1980s, as his health declined, Hugh retired. He played Mr. Green Jeans for 29 years—one of the longest-running characters in television history. The show continued briefly without him, but something essential was gone.

On April 19, 1987, Hugh Brannum died at age 77.

His obituary identified him simply as the man who played Mr. Green Jeans.

And suddenly, millions of adults realized something startling:

Mr. Green Jeans had helped raise them.

Not with speeches.

Not with discipline.

But with gentleness.

He showed generations of children that strength could be quiet. That knowledge was meant to be shared. Those animals deserved care. That patience mattered.

These weren’t flashy lessons. They weren’t dramatic. But they were foundational—the kind that shape who a person becomes.

Hugh Brannum had a law degree. He toured with famous musicians. He worked in radio and television. He lived a full, accomplished life.

But for nearly three decades, he chose to be Mr. Green Jeans.

And because of that choice, millions of people grew up a little kinder, a little more patient, and a little more curious about the world.

Most people never knew his name.

But they knew his example.

Hugh Brannum died in 1987.

Mr. Green Jeans lives on—in memory, in gentleness, in the quiet lessons that never needed applause.

That is not just a television legacy.

That is a moral education delivered so softly it felt like love.

Remember him. He earned it.

Once again, I took this from Facebook, and it was not credited. If it is yours, I will reassign the copyright. I grew up with the Captain, Mr. Green Jeans, and the entire cast. Thank you to whoever wrote this.

Helping but not

January 28, 2026

Watching a movie, I was reminded of parenting skills that Cindy and I have learned. We knew little of these techniques when our first child was born. As our kids grew, we grasped concepts from our folks. Some, we decided, had worked. Others were thrown out with that day’s garbage.

I will share some of the better ones with you:

Give your kids space. The time to keep them close is when they are young. As they grow, the time and type of closeness also change. Each person is different in the freedom they need. Some of us need our parents for a longer period than others may.

Set rules, but as they mature, make them guidelines. Every child needs to learn how to operate in the world they will live in. Your job is to teach them how to make the decisions they will need to make to live in a civilized world. Not all the prisons and graves are full of the children of bad parents. Some kids turn out decent despite being taught the wrong things.

Be their parent and remember that someday you want to be a friend. Try to be friends too soon, and they will not have the chance to be instructed by the parents that we all need. I never had to make it without my mom and dad. They were strict when I needed it and a friend when it was called for. We raised our kids the same. Now they have their own kids and don’t need parents. We are friends, advisors, and help them when they ask.

Quality time also means more time. Some parents think that the few minutes they give their children are enough if they are used well. When I ask what they do with them in those short periods of time, they have no actual answers. Usually, they can’t remember what they do with their kids.

There are books on parenting that are helpful and ones that are full of a lot of crap. The ones that helped us might not be as useful for you. You must keep in mind that your child(ren) are unique individuals. You are the one who will help them become adults. What type of grown-ups will they be? That is not your choice; it is theirs.

Children should be given responsibilities that are suitable for their age. Toddlers should pick up after themselves. They should eat, sleep, and listen to instructions. Don’t wait until they rebel against being treated inappropriately to allow them to mature. Think about the mistakes your parents make and realize that sometimes, when you think you are helping, you are not.