I’m proud and deeply grateful to live in a democracy. It’s a privilege and most times a pleasure. That is, until the political season. Then it’s a hideous slog through vitriol flung from all sides until election day. I don’t listen to talk radio (I don’t count NPR as talk radio), I don’t watch national [...]
I was casting about for a subject for today’s column when, in a fit of procrastination, I decided to clean out my email inbox. It didn’t really need it but it kept me from writing this column. Whatever it takes. In my cleansing, I came across some TED Talks I had saved from a year [...]
I write this from the center of South Dakota on the road home from Illinois. Yep, Cuz-o-Rama Road Trip 2018 has been a roaring success so far. There has certainly been some snarkiness and a marked lack of civility at times. However, considering we’ve got four adult-sized people and a lengthy 13-year old wedged into [...]
Next month, I’m taking the McDougal and Albrecht kids to Peoria to see their grandparents. I hope it will be an epic adventure of cousinly bonding and laughter, motoring across the heartland. In reality, it will probably be eighteen hours of unrestricted Snapchat, Youtube videos, and music in headphones. All punctuated by snarling and sleeping. [...]
Another year, another CampFIRE in the books. The CVC’s youth leadership camp is the official start of summer for us. For those of you who have real fears about the country’s youth and our collective future, I urge you to drop into Camp Roberts some year and meet these graduating eighth graders. You’ll feel much [...]
I’ve been wanting to write this column for awhile but have been waiting for the right time. I think this is it. Although it’s Mother’s Day weekend, I’m going to go a different direction. My mom has received quite a bit of ink here so I’ll introduce you to my dad instead. My dad is [...]
Perhaps you’ll remember my last column - the civility and kindness-themed one where I illustrated the lack of both these qualities in my children and our nation’s current dialogue. I’m sure you either posted it on your fridge as a cautionary tale to your own children or you added it to the scrapbook you’ve made [...]
Kindness and civility. Has anyone ever used those two terms to describe their children’s relationship with each other? I doubt it. And if they did, it would be the Chardonnay talking. It doesn’t matter how much I try to instill the importance of being kind to the boys, apparently, it does not begin at home. [...]
I’m a feline evangelist. I was a little late to the party, but now that I’m here, I think everyone should love cats as I do. Since I’ve welcomed cats into my life, I’m at a complete loss as to how I survived prior to kitties. Truly, my life was not nearly as full as [...]
Thanksgiving is almost upon us. It is a time to give thanks, gather friends and family together, watch football and, of course, eat oneself into a turkey coma. Mike and I have been hosting Turkey Day since way before we got married and it’s always been a blast. We take in all the orphans – [...]
