Month: October 2003

A squeeze bottle of grape jam lacks the personality and adventure of a jar of wild currant jelly or wild strawberry jam picked, cooked, poured and sealed into jelly jars with wax by my mother. To break the wax seal, my mother inserted a sharp knife, twisted and pried at the wax and hoped, but…

“Children are to be seen and not heard,” admonished adults in the 19th century. Things have not really changed a great deal. Two recent Associated Press news stories with contrasting attitudes about children both weigh in favor of the importance of appearance. The first story focused on exclusive shops for babies such as Babies ‘R’…

The grandchildren barely noticed that most of their toys were packed away in moving boxes. They shrugged at the loss. They had cardboard boxes, crayons, paints, scissors, aluminum foil, sticks and their imaginations. They did not need toys. While their parents sorted through the details of packing up and moving, the grandchildren corralled the empty…

My world centers around me, my family, my city and my country, Map makers agree. On every map printed in American, the United States of America is the focal point – top and center – even if Asia has to be split to keep my country in the center. That world view was challenged recently…

A squeeze bottle of grape jam lacks the personality and adventure of a jar of wild currant jelly or wild strawberry jam picked, cooked, poured and sealed into jelly jars with wax by my mother. To break the wax seal, my mother inserted a sharp knife, twisted and pried at the wax and hoped, but…