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           The rectangular wrapped box felt heavy in my hands. “Every home needs one of these,” my roommate said as she handed me a wedding gift. “Thank you,” I tore open the package to find a sturdy cardboard box picturing a food grinder. I lifted the lid and saw the cast iron augur, clamp, wing nuts,…

Mother’s Day generates many memories. For me they begin in the kitchen as I use metal measuring cups just like Mom’s to measure shortening and sugar into the medium-sized white, Tupperware bowl – just like Mom’s. I snap the beaters into a hand mixer – just like Mom’s. As the machine mixes, I reflect. “I…

Men climb Mount Everest because it is there. Kids climb everything else for the same reason, which explains the ladder my daughter found on the patio table by the carport and her son Eli perched upon the roof. She posted on Facebook, “You know you better brace yourself when your teenager has put a ladder…

My sidewalk supervisor put his stamp of approval on the new bridge at Calion. For years, every time he drove that way, he inspected the work and muttered suggestions. The project began years ago with widening the road. “They are cutting down trees,” he observed as we drove by miles of fallen trees. “They are…

  So many promises are made in books, magazines and weblogs advocating the fantastic results from using herbs, spices, minerals and oils. They sound so great until I turn to the index searching for specific, chronic problems. There the promises fade into oblivion, especially for those of us who have had first-hand encounters with serious…

    “Why didn’t you stop me?” the woman asked the banker.     “I tried,” he reminded her of the questions asked when she withdrew $5,000 cash from her account. She had answered the questions confidently, packaged the cash and mailed it to a new online “friend” in another state. After a few online conversations, she…

Reading and hearing about all the companies’ desperately searching for employees in northern Indiana, I repeat what my mother-in-law said nearly 50 years ago, “I’m retired, but with all the ads in the newspaper for jobs, I feel like I should go get a job and help out.” Many of our family – children, grandchildren…

    Midday, we paused in packing for another road trip when I asked my husband, “Are you going to get the chicken special today?” Any day of the week, my guy chooses chicken over steak, especially when it is a bargain.     “No. I lost weight when I had Covid. I want to keep it…

The imperfect seams of the yellow baby rompers at the estate sale carried no monetary value. They simply held enough sentimental value to justify keeping them long after the baby boy had children of his own. The little outfit reminded me of the red rompers I made for my own son. As I struggled to…

Across the nation, kids celebrated Read Across America the week of Dr. Seuss’s March 2 birthday. Students and teachers dress up in red and white striped hats, wear Dr. Seuss inspired clothing and hairdos and read his books as well as many others. The fun week emphasizes books. This year on his birthday, the company…

     Sometimes I wish I could grab a magic wand to wave over my loved ones. I wondered if I needed one the day my son began a conversations saying, “Joy said I should call you.”     “What did she want us to know?”     “That we have paid off our school loans.” he said.…

    In one memorable episode of Wheel of Fortune, a player spun the million dollar card and called the correct letters to finish the puzzle “Mythological Hero Achilles.” He only had to read it to keep the card. He pronounced the name as “A-Chill – es.” and lost the million dollars. The next player correctly…

A couple of DIY (do-it-yourself) folks live at our house. Hubby made our bed with lumber, a power saw, nails, glue and varnish. Then I stitched together a quilt, and we sleep comfortably. Our new house needed landscaping. The DIY man of the house raked the dirt yard flat and free of stones, scattered it…

    The big 4-0 creeps ever closer for my darling daughter. The calendar does not measure the big event so much as the change in her mindset. She called me this morning to say, “I am becoming my parents.” and proceeded to tell me a couple stories.     Yesterday afternoon she was headed to the…