You find out who your friends are when you’re in trouble. In Frank Capra’s movie, “It’s A Wonderful Life,” George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) faces down disaster and financial ruin. Wall Street’s collapse sparked panic in the nation. Terrified depositors swarmed… Continue Reading
In case you missed it, Christmas began last month. I was caught off guard. It was still over 100 degrees outside when I dove into Costco and saw a wall of fake trees and highly electrified ornaments. By my calculations,… Continue Reading
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon My Grandfather was a man of few words—a doer and not a talker. I remember his patience and forbearance. When I’d gripe, he’d listen, nod, and… Continue Reading
I learned last weekend that I’M AMERICA’S NEWEST CYBER THREAT! How do I know? Twitter was so kind to tell me when they suspended my account for “aggressive behavior.” Aggressive? HELLO! I WAS FOLLOWING PEOPLE. That’s what you do on… Continue Reading
When our first child came along I became Papa Paparazzi—I photographed EVERYTHING. For instance, when Amanda was a toddler, she was playing in the back yard and turned over a rock. She found a caboodle of creepy-crawly critters and let out… Continue Reading
For years, every garment I owned bore my name and phone number. My mom ordered a truckload of labels from a mail-order catalog, and she used them with abandon. It seemed natural… until my best friend noticed. He and I… Continue Reading
Our daughter Nicole looked grim as she shared the news. “It slowed, started shaking, and made a roaring sound,” she whispered. “Then it got real quiet.” Nicole’s car—The Green Monster—died in the slow lane of westbound Highway 44 on a hot… Continue Reading
Karin and I concur on most major marital and philosophical issues: politics, personal finances, religion, family-size, professional sports, and sex. We agreed on “twice the norm,” “non-doctrinal,” “don’t keep track,” “left-leaning”, “none,” and “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Ten points if… Continue Reading
My motto in childhood was “If a little bit is good, a lot has to be better.” This was doubly true when it came to talking. Bedtime was at 8 pm, but I had a dodge. I’d dash from my room,… Continue Reading
When the kids were little, Karin instituted a family tradition, Twice around the Table. After dinner, you were required to remain seated, wait your turn, and then share three things. First, you told everyone the worst thing that had happened to you. You could gripe—briefly—about your… Continue Reading
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