Derek has challenged me to go on a 30-day social media detox. I’m going to do it in 2024. That will mean no Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Threads or LinkedIn for a month. No Randy Rainbow, Holistic Psychologist, Anthony Jeselnik or Michael Rappaport.
…Social Media Detox is Coming Read More »
We have few people to buy gifts for this Christmas. No parents. The honorary grandkids want gift cards. I made a deal with my brother. We told each other about something we want but haven’t bought for ourselves. That’s how I know I’m getting a bonsai tree and a growing kit!
…My First Annual, Somewhat Biased, Gift Guide Read More »
My general disdain for billionaires who stay billionaires is well documented on this site. It’s not the accumulation of wealth that bothers me. It’s hanging onto that wealth while so many suffer. We’re all spinning on this big blue ball together. If we have the means, and don’t bother to help each other, then what’s it all about?
…When Chips Off the Old Block are Potato Chips Read More »
…“Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.”
Attributed to various sources from Confucius to Mark Twain
Retirement Isn’t in Our Vocabulary Read More »
We sometimes buy things from Amazon. I shop at a couple of online grocers who carry specialty items I can’t get from anyone near me. We are not perfect beings and I despise helping a billionaire like Jeff Bezos get richer. But Amazon didn’t become the monolith it is without doing a few things right.
…What the Dickens is Up With Small Business SaturdayRead More »
What the Dickens is Up With Small Business Saturday Read More »
Please meet our friend Kendra. She and her husband Tim live in Arkansas and we’ve been to see them exactly once. (Derek’s been there a few times on motorcycle trips with buddies.) I won’t share her life story here, because it’s not mine to tell. But let me assure you that she has overcome a lot of major obstacles in her life. So has Tim, for that matter.
…A Late-Runner Embraces the Early Side of Life Read More »
Derek has a weekly breakfast with a bunch of guys he’s known since high school. One of them just had a pacemaker installed. Another, an emergency appendectomy. Still another will have to lie face down for weeks – WEEKS – after eye surgery to repair a detached retina. Four people we know have COVID-19. And all of this happened within the last week.
…Old Friends Acting Our Age Read More »
I will never share the name of the one of the most important people in my life.
…Henry Winkler and I Have Something in Common (Besides Affection for The Fonz)Read More »
Henry Winkler and I Have Something in Common (Besides Affection for The Fonz) Read More »
It could be weeks before there’s a conclusion about the cause of Matthew Perry’s death on the weekend. Toxicology test results, whether there were any chemicals in his blood, take time. He had prescriptions for medications. But he clearly hadn’t relapsed into the waiting arms of his cruel addiction.
…The One About A Bunch of Things Read More »
My first bite of Italian pasta, in Italy, made by Italian hands, was everything I hoped it would be.
…How We Spent 22 Days in Italy Read More »
We are leaving for Italy next week. This is a bucket list, once-in-a-lifetime trip that’s been in loose planning stages for years.
…Arrivederci or Pasta La Vista, Baby! Read More »
I almost didn’t post a blog today. I had several ideas, all of them bad. And it’s the idea that’s the most difficult part of being a writer. Once an experienced writer gets a great idea, the words spill out like too much water overflowing a cup.
…Life Got Lifey This Week Read More »
This is the story of a helpful friend, sleep-deprivation that became a little desperate, and my huge mistake in judgment. I can laugh about it now, a little. But it sure wasn’t funny at the time.
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Fake news doesn’t just sprout from national politics and pandemics. It happens in a small, lakeside town, too. Here in Port Stanley we have a mystery in the harbour. And you won’t find the truth from the Internet.
…Small Town Journalists Report the News in Person Read More »
Have you ever had something in your life that felt so big and overwhelming, that the thought of talking about it made you feel like you might explode? Of course you have. We all have. And that’s what this post is about. It’s the reason why I haven’t broached the subject here, or on our Gracefully and Frankly podcast, or with anyone except those closest to me, and one nice woman I recently met.
…Sleeping Like a Baby…with Colic and a Full DiaperRead More »
Sleeping Like a Baby…with Colic and a Full Diaper Read More »
Does anything taste as good as something you’ve grown in your own garden? I don’t think so. We planted broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, lettuce, and tomatoes in container gardens for the first time. And we enjoyed a bountiful harvest of – tomatoes!
…Container Gardening Experiment Yields Mixed ResultsRead More »
Container Gardening Experiment Yields Mixed Results Read More »
A few years ago, I bought a colander at a vintage market out of pure nostalgia. It’s the same as the one my mom had while I was growing up. And it looked none the worse for wear. That’s because it was Tupperware.
…Indestructible, Practical Tupperware Read More »
We had concerns about hummingbirds. Where were they? Why weren’t they coming back to our yard after seeming to enjoy our eateries last year? We had seen two scouts early in the season, but that was all.
…A Little Hummingbird Told Me Read More »