Columnists

Helping yourself

Posted: December 14, 2023 at 10:27 am   /   Columnists

This is not one of my pseudopsychological journeys, but a glimpse into the end of the world as we know it. Follow me. It all started with self-serve gas stations. Cheap people like me would pound on our gloves, zip up our winter coats, and stand in the screaming wind and blowing snow to save […]

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I can see clearly now

Posted: December 14, 2023 at 10:24 am   /   Columnists

I was going to write something about Christmases past, but I was inspired by one of the features on CBS Sunday Morning. It was about Postpartum Depression. It brought back a lot of memories for me. Some of the memories aren’t great. While I was never formally diagnosed with Postpartum Depression (who is?) I know […]

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Christmas wish list

Posted: November 23, 2023 at 10:13 am   /   Columnists

Every year around this time my friends and family ask me what I want for Christmas. I always think it’s obvious…things for the garden or about gardening! Somehow that translates into sweaters, socks and board games. So this year I thought I’d help my family out with some great ideas. Dear Santa… Bulbs are always […]

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November never disappoints

Posted: November 23, 2023 at 10:11 am   /   Columnists

November never really disappoints me. The weather is always “as expected”, that is to say “the unexpected happens” in November. It’s overcast and rainy one day, then brilliantly warm and sunny the next and perhaps a combination of sunshine, cold temperatures with a bit of a breeze to shake the last of the leaves from […]

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Pick a Tree!

Posted: November 17, 2023 at 9:43 am   /   Columnists

If you’re at all like me and choose to have a real tree in your home for the holidays, then NOW is the time to go out and get it. I realize that those homeowners with a faux tree may already have theirs up, but for us ‘traditionalists’, waiting until the cold snap has hit […]

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It’s complicated

Posted: November 17, 2023 at 9:42 am   /   Columnists

I always figured when I got older things would become less complicated. In some respects “things” did become easier to handle. I don’t have any debts. I don’t have to get up in the morning and go to work. I’m not worried about driving a Rolls-Can- Hardly—and I’ve driven many of those. Old Age Security […]

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My front door for the holidays

Posted: November 9, 2023 at 10:15 am   /   Columnists

I was recently surprised to find out that my new front door has the best return-on-investment of all my home renovations. That puts the front door ahead of the new kitchen, the updated bathroom and my back patio according to Remodeling Magazine, 2022. It makes sense in an odd sort of way. Think of the […]

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Beware the watchdogs

Posted: November 9, 2023 at 10:13 am   /   Columnists

Let me start with this: The Empire State Building in the heart of New York City took 18 months to build. Think about that. The tallest building in the world, at the time—a year and a half. What has happened since then? Lots. Bureaucracy, and tons of it. Maybe way too much. I understand that […]

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I Will Remember

Posted: November 9, 2023 at 10:04 am   /   Columnists

Remembrance Day was a great, big deal when I was a kid. Of course, I didn’t really understand what it was about or that my dad was a veteran. I saw the photographs of him in his uniform, but it never really occurred to me what Remembrance Day was for people like my dad or […]

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How may I waste your time?

Posted: November 2, 2023 at 12:25 pm   /   Columnists

Time is a weird thing. According to science, time is a constant. If you look at a clock, that’s probably true. It doesn’t matter how you measure it—it’s still time. In France, after the Revolution, they moved to the metric system, which later caught on around the world, except for American citizens, who are totally […]

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