Author Archives: jottingjoan

I refused to even look at the half price clearance sales on Valentine items last week. My husband looked. I did not think we needed a thing. My husband saw a few things he thought we should have. I did … Continue reading →

I wrote last week’s column pointing out the leaky roof at Champagnolle Landing …. it is time now for the rest of the story regarding the collection of buckets, tubs and containers scattered around the exercise arena. Yes, the buckets … Continue reading →

The time had come to get serious again about food and activities that raise the blood pressure, do a number on the cholesterol levels and leave me courting my family history of diabetes. I cleaned out all the holiday foods. … Continue reading →

I packed three sewing machines and all the extras for the family gathering along with my ideas of what to sew. But the young women and granddaughters had their own ideas that came out as soon as I lifted my … Continue reading →

Wow! That’s all I could say Jan. 18 when Wikipedia went black to protest proposed, anti-piracy legislation in the federal government. At midnight, Wikipedia switched off ready access to nearly 4 million web pages and gave searchers a dignified explanation … Continue reading →

Researching and writing this week’s column took me time and again to the fifth most popular website, Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia which started in 2001 with 3,848,878 articles in English. Wikipedia attracts 25 million visitors daily, according to ComScore. … Continue reading →

Birthdays provide convenient markers of progress and changes in life. A few reflections on the eve of leaving middle age. At 10, kindly adults would enter conversations with me by asking, “What are you going to be when you grow … Continue reading →

At the time “Octo-Mom,” a single woman, announced her artificially-induced pregnancy of eight children, she said she did it because she “needed to have children.” Reflecting on that statement, my son Mark commented, “I would counsel any woman who thinks … Continue reading →

Yeah, yeah, the kids hated it, but I loved my rule when we had perfectly healthy, minor children around the house: “First you work, then you play makes my life easier any day.” I’d like to say I initiated the … Continue reading →

Time and again, I have met folks who believe and practice, “If we are faithful to God, He will be faithful to us.” But no one said it was always easy as my co-worker said, “I have always tithed,” she … Continue reading →