I want to send out a big “thank you, thank you” to our local TV meteorologists. They’ve done a tremendous job lately helping us navigate sub-freezing temperatures, deluge-type rain, funnel clouds, straight line winds and all manner of weather craziness. These guys are not just giving us their “Yep, looks like rain” opinion after a gander out the window, either. … [Read more...]

Well, I did it again. I bought a package of rice cakes. They caught me in a weak (or possibly strong) moment when my psyche thought it was entirely possible that I would eat them, and not only eat them, but eat them instead of a chocolate chip granola bar. So far, that hasn’t happened. That’s the power of the new year. When we’re in the middle of our holiday revelry, … [Read more...]

A few years back, I came up with the idea to make an Advent calendar for my grandchildren and grandnephews and nieces. I had accumulated a plethora of toilet paper rolls, and having once been a kindergarten teacher, I could not bring myself to throw them away. Besides, for a while there, it was so hard to get the toilet paper itself that the leftover rolls seemed like … [Read more...]

It was off the coast of Newfoundland. I was waiting for the ship to pull into port when I turned to see a rainbow in the distance; just a small arc, mind you, but it was beautiful as all rainbows are. I was prepared to watch it fade when another rainbow appeared, then another, then another, each one more brilliant than the last. They came down in front of the mountains. I could … [Read more...]

From time to time, I inadvertently hit some button on my phone and a screen pops up that says, “What can I help you with?” If I don’t respond immediately, it says, “Go ahead … I’m listening.”Despite the fact (or maybe because of the fact) that I have no idea how I make this happen, I find this feature endearing. Sure, the only things the phone offers to do are to call … [Read more...]