November 29, 2022 Lessons linger from a first-grade teacher Among my father’s keepsakes is a letter written many years ago by Lottie Pickerl. Mrs. Pickerl had been my first-grade teacher at German Township…
November 28, 2022 My Christmas spirit comes from the heart, not from gifts and artificial trees Tis the season! Or maybe, based on advertising and a local radio station broadcasting Christmas music at the beginning of November, we are already…
November 25, 2022 Moor or less: It’s great to be a guy (and other titles) on Thanksgiving “It must be great being a man during Thanksgiving,” my wife grumbled while preparing The Big Meal. Well, yes, it is, I mouthed to…
November 23, 2022 Won’t worry about what I don’t know Every once in a while, I marvel at the miracles that occur daily in the life of a human being. Whether you believe that…
November 23, 2022 Searching for something in my sleep One of the last conversations I had with my old friend Mike was about dreams. It came as little surprise to me that our…
November 21, 2022 Where am I? Maybe Gilmer Park once again I have been having a difficult time knowing where I stand in the world today. I do not mean that in a metaphysical sense. …
November 19, 2022 A Case for Handwriting and the Written Word As someone who was born in ancient times (1957), I grew up with reverent regard for the written word. In my elementary school years,…
November 18, 2022 Moor or Less: Of hamlets and Harland Sanders off I-75 On our recent trip to Florida (before the bombardment of snow), I didn’t get to drive much. I couldn’t complain. We were traveling with…
November 18, 2022 Age really is just a number Quite a few years ago, I was at a community prayer breakfast and happened to be seated next to the legendary Notre Dame coach…
November 14, 2022 Moor or less: A car can be a treasure trove of … well, stuff My wife cleaned out her car the other day. Bravo, I said. But then she started glaring over at my baby — my 2005…
November 14, 2022 Here are some of my mid-term musings Recent election cycles are like lingering hangovers. Between the prolonged vote counting and political pundit post-mortems, the discomfort goes on and on and on….
November 12, 2022 OK, I admit that I’ve become a winter sissy Former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz knew how to weave a folksy tale and use a pithy phrase. “Act like you’ve been there…
November 7, 2022 Here I am, horking up another essay I have a fair idea how I became an expert on bad writing. My first full-time job as a grownup in 1976 paid me…
November 6, 2022 Moor or Less: Well, shoot, we tried to help I didn’t glimpse any shotgun barrels aimed our way but I certainly saw the sign beyond a vast pile of hurricane debris outside the…
November 2, 2022 One if by land, two if by sea In my glum moments, I have found a new worry. I had made peace with the likelihood that, within five years, my neighbors will…