The Summer of Essays…Plus Cats, Chemistry & Confidence
This summer will go down in our family history as the Summer of Essays. Our son is applying to multiple medical schools, each one with its own set of essay questions, and I’m serving as editor and proofreader as this very private guy is forced to… Continue reading
Inviting the Imp of Impulsivity
June, 2010 I was born impulsive, at least according to my family and long-time friends. I don’t have to look far for an example of this, just over toward Rosie the Mutt, who is snoozing nearby as I write. Rosie’s eyes met mine when I… Continue reading
It’s Been a Quiet Week in Lake Wobegon…
September, 2010 It’s been especially hot and humid recently in western Michigan, but that hasn’t stopped my Aunt Letha from canning this year’s peaches, out on the old stove in what they call the pole building. Now that she’s in her… Continue reading
Mother’s Day: Savor It…and Save It
(This is a column we first published in 1997. It’s been tweaked over the years as my own perspective changes! Hope you enjoy it. –SBL) One morning about a hundred years ago, 54-year-old Agnes Bailey took a walk around the farm in search of her… Continue reading
Raindrops on roses? Popcorn in a pan?
So, how are things at your house? At our house…well, I’ll be honest, it’s been a little different this past 18 months. Advertisers, pinched by the economy, buy smaller ads and run them in fewer of the Our Town areas. Since we plan to stay in… Continue reading
What I Learned From 2 Weeks on Twitter
Maybe you use Twitter, maybe you don’t. Either way, though, you probably have an opinion about the idea of sending out and receiving 140-character messages off and on all day. Up until recently, my opinion has been this: Twitter’s not for me…. Continue reading
Do We Click?
Years ago, I was involved with a group called Vote Kids ‘92 that was promoting candidate awareness of child poverty. During the meetings, I bonded with a genteel and wry older lady I’ll call Edna. Edna told me about a similar group that she had… Continue reading
This is not another column about our dog
We have published a lot of columns here about our greyhound, Toby, since we adopted him seven years ago. But this will not be one of them. Toby’s gone. After a sudden, painful decline, he was eased into doggie heaven by the same gentle vet who put… Continue reading