Post 48/2023. Sister-in-law Doris recently came up with a joke that flips the frenetic dash of shopping, holiday preparations, yearend planning. "'It won't be long now,' said the monkey when it lost its tail in the lawnmower." Good time to pause and immerse oneself in a book or two. Hot chocolate alongside. Set in Scotland …
Two days in Chicago
Post 47/2023. Chicago delighted us again. "Us" included Jan and John Schwartz. Weather was perfect. Christkindlmarket came through festive and tasty, if crowded. Sadly, there was an empty spot, our friend Oscar, who always met us at the Millenium train station, now lives in Austin, Texas. Jan, John and Marty queue for a visit inside …
Festivities galore
Post 46/2023. The words "happy" and "merry" are part of festive season greetings in December. As the first season of the Christian church year, Advent, in a four-week observance, anticipates the birth of Jesus by focusing on the themes of hope, peace, joy and love. Those are hearty themes in a heavy world. An idea …
Seasons of thanks and anticipation
Post 45/2023. Sunday. It's snowing. I'm burning a soy wax candle in a jar, called "Grandma's Garden." No distinctive scent stands out, though Marty came wondering where the strange, sweet smell was coming from. Maybe the candle's more about memories than smell. Memories of flower beds. Lettuce. Potatoes. Tomatoes. Onions. Carrots. Peas. Strawberries. Raspberries. Fruit …
Thoughts far afield
Post 44/2023. Our neighbors gave us an article from The Wall Street Journal (Journal Report l Encore, November 16). Title: "Two Minnesotans Retired in Cornwall, England. They Love It--Even the Food." Subtitle: "But the thing that makes them most happy are the people around them." The writer is Ellen Hawley, who with her partner moved …
Up Michigan way
Post 43/2023. Between obligations and appointments at home we sallied forth for a few days around our favorite destination on Lake Michigan, South Haven. We took back roads that revealed fading fall colors, many corn and a few bean fields yet to be harvested, and surprises in Paw Paw on the way home. Let photos …
Hickory dickory dock
Post 42/2023. Hickory dickory dock, / The mouse ran up the clock. / The clock struck one, / The mouse ran down. / Hickory dickory dock. One source says the nursery rhyme was used to teach children how to tell the time. And how to read. Our mantel clock has no opening for a mouse, …
Savoring seasons, present and past
Post 41/2023. Taking advantage of this week's balmy weather took us on various rambles. Elkhart County's River Preserve and LaGrange County's Pine Knob Park were two destinations for walks, as was our immediate Greencroft retirement community campus. Fall colors have peaked and leaves are falling hereabouts. Memory lives on I was probably 6 or 7 …
Travels with First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy
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, …
It's About Now 