I’m ready for spring to end. I love the warmth and flowers. I love the world turning green. What am I not loving? The tree pollen with the continual burning and itching in my eyes. The coughing. My plugged nose. When the pollen forms a yellow slick on the pond, you know it’s heavy.
Continue reading “Itchy Eyes”
Yea, we own a Schnupfmaschine (Snuff Machine). What, you might ask, is a Schnupfmaschine? An ingenious little German contraption for shooting snuff up your nose. And why would you want to do that? Well, that story is a little longer, and perhaps a bit nonsensical.
Continue reading “Die Schnupfmaschine”
It’s not a requirement to like your brothers-in-law, but it’s a good thing when it happens. I have been blessed with three GREAT brothers-in-law – Shawn, Don, and Jack. In my book, requirement one for any B-I-L is to love and care for your wife and family. All three do/did that and so much more.
Continue reading “Three Brothers (in Law)”
Tax Day! Mom was something of a pack rat – a neat one, but a pack rat nonetheless. My sister Roberta and I recently went through a box of old photos and papers and came across her 1948 Tax Return. She was a junior in high school at the time, and it turns out at a juncture in her life.
Continue reading “Mom, 1948 and Her Tax Return”
The coffee cup is old and has chips and a crack in it. It was a gift from my buddy Tim Stouffer in 1980 when he visited us in Germany, while returning from a trip to Russia. I think he bought it in a train station somewhere. Tim passed away a little over a year ago, and I’ve thought about whether I should continue using the mug, or put it on a shelf somewhere.
Continue reading “The Coffee Cup”
Well shut my mouth! For the first time, I won a lottery here in Virginia through the state Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Store. My prize? A bottle of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Bourbon for $150. It’s almost impossible to find, and if you do find it, it’s usually over $700 a bottle.
Continue reading “Van Winkle 12 Year Old Bourbon”
My sister, Roberta, created a fun family cookbook of recipes and stories a decade ago. She recently resent her “intro” to me and I love it. She talks of how our five senses link us to those wonderful memories from our past. I urge you to give this a read and I guarantee it will make you smile.
The words are strictly Roberta’s. I’m just sharing them.
Continue reading “Finding Happiness”
Last Christmas Eve, I was talking with our nephew Casey. He mentioned a visit to our home as a young boy, and then asked “Do you remember making cheese fondue at the cabin? That was so cool!” The memories of that weekend, and our ‘70s era burnt orange fondue pot came flooding back.
Continue reading “Cheese Fondue”
Last July we received one of those phone calls that shifts your world. Our niece, Bre, let us know she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Thirty-eight years old, this started her on a new and unexpected journey that still continues.
Continue reading “Bre”
It was 7:00AM and I was on my way to feed the horses when I heard gunshots in the distance. Hunting? Maybe. It was barely light out and too early for target practice. Then, another — CRACK! —, closer this time. What the hell was going on?
Continue reading “Disquieting Beauty”
Live Life Exuberantly 