Post 40/2023. It was the last copy on the recent large print books shelves: My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy, by Clint Hill and Lisa McCubbin Hill (Gale/Thorndike Press, 2022). Hill was Mrs. Kennedy's secret service agent. The material--written records and photos--was uncovered after 50 years from a trunk in Hill's garage. I'm one-fourth of the …
Plans changed fast
Post 39/2023. I've unpacked books and a handful of magazines from our travel computer case. They were part of the reading materials intended for a week at a cabin on the north shore of South Manistique Lake in Curtis, Michigan. A cabin right next to lapping waves, swooping gulls, a rowboat, nearby paths, library, pubs, …
Nobel and Ig Nobel prizes
Post 38 (395th since the first one). What the world needs more of is a good blend of the serious and silly. Serious as in the achievements celebrated in the annual Nobel prizes. Silly, or satiric, as in the prizes that celebrate ten unusual or trivial achievements in scientific research. Sun peeking through on a …
A moment’s pause
Post 37/2023. There's no stopping the ebb and flow of time. That's a truism I utter to buy a moment of reflection. This morning: weather's achangin'. Foggy, flannel shirt/jacket time. To be shed this afternoon, after a walk to Cabin Coffee and library. That's the plan. Later The plan worked. I stuffed my coat into …
A very short blog
Post 36/2023. A full week. Got jobs done. Walked to Cabin Coffee for breakfast and then on to Goshen Library. Gave the sermon this morning in Greencroft Healthcare and Evergreen Assisted Living, based on Exodus 16:2-25, title, Manna According to Doris. As I said, a full week. This and that. Michiana Mennonite Relief Sale yesterday …
Sweet and bittersweet
Post 35/2023. The shows were compelling. The five days allowed for variety. Time with family featured food, a tour through a new house under construction and a farewell tribute to the old house where my siblings and I grew up. It's Sunday evening, home from Stratford, Ontario. Marty and I have been doing an annual …
Sunday snippets on Monday
Post 24/2023. Last week went happily zooming by. Various tasks and preparations kept me from writing the weekly blog--until today. I hope to keep it short and snappy. We were able to walk to church yesterday (just under 30 minutes). Following the worship service, Rebecca Stolzfus, Goshen College president, spoke to three adult Sunday school …
Pottering in a satisfying way
Post 33/2023. I've been doing little jobs around the house. Carted off three boxes of books to Fables Books in downtown Goshen. Reshelving the keepers. Organizing storage in the garage. The latter is what I dilly dallied on this afternoon. Pottering, puttering, playing are a few words to describe the process, but none are quite …
Hard news, soft news, no news
Post 32/2023. Many stories in public and social media are predictable, repetitive, breathless, reporting the way it is. That's fine. We need news, important, accurate, comprehensive news. Hard news. Soft media (social media) is less my cup of tea. What I do in this blog, I trust, is no news, as in no news is …
Keep calm / pray / share
Post 31/2023. KEEP CALM YOU'RE IN A LIBRARY. I use caps sparingly. Here the all-caps phrase communicates as both a whisper and a shout. I found it at Awesome Librarians, a UK-based website. Other quotes: "Reading is an adventure that never ends." And "I Am a Book Dragon Not a Worm." This gathering among Amish …
It's About Now 