What goes around comes around
Some of the sagest advice my father ever offered my brothers and me urged us not to "hit back at bullies" because, sooner or later, "They'll get theirs.
Bumper sticker triggers concern
Yesterday, as I was driving to buy groceries and fill up the gas tank on my car, I couldn't help but notice the bumper sticker on the pick-up truck ahead of me.
The risk of conspicuous sustainability
Back-to-school shopping is a piece of cake with my 16-year-old son, Jon. We don't shop. And I love it.
Vintage voice brings storm to life
Anyone who fancies himself a writer always reads and critiques other writers' efforts, sometimes with disdain and sometimes with admiration while saying to himself, "I wish I'd written that.
The fine art of wallowing
I firmly believe that two of the most daunting - albeit well-intentioned - statements in the English language are thus: "When God closes a door, He opens a window" and "God has a plan.
Pack a Lunch
Our family has never felt compelled to do "back to school" shopping like some, but since Kathie's lunch bag from last year is worn and stained, during a weak moment in Wal-Mart, I opted to pick up an insulated hot pink bag and a coordinated water bottle that slides neatly inside.
Neither cheap nor poor, just genius
Every August, about silage chopping time, my mind flits back to a burning question of my youth: Given the old fashioned way we made corn silage on that southern Illinois dairy farm, were we just poor or were we just cheap?
Off the farm: My son in the big city
My son, the country boy, is suddenly a city boy. Plucked from our farm situated near a tiny town, he is now in a city that seems to never sleep.
Bats in the belfry (and the kitchen and the …)
With all due respect to Dr. Dolittle, if I could talk to the animals what I would say is this: Dudes, I need my space.
Ye Old Canning Jar
"Down to the cellar, come let us go Where fruit jars like this are lined up in a row Potatoes like this are stacked up in a bin With cabbages so fat and celery so thin.
