In the winter, the barn doors stick. It’s as though the ground grows up and grabs the bottoms, but it’s the sun melting snow on the roof and the water drips, freezes, sticking the doors to the ground. I jar and jiggle them loose. The other day I was irritated with Bruce and lost my temper. I shoved and yanked at the door, but it wouldn’t budge because I’d yanked the trolley apart. (The trolley is the gizmo that slides the door across the rails.) Bruce pulled out the step ladder. He did not yell

Mardi Gras in upon us and it’s time to celebrate with a Polish treat—paczki. WHAT?

Mardi Gras in upon us and it’s time to celebrate with a Polish treat—paczki. WHAT? Yep. Let the good times roll with a powdered paczki. I have fond memories of these delicious orbs. Having spent all of my working life in Chicagoland, and since Chicago has the largest population of Poles outside of Warsaw, often the Polish contingent at work would buy some for the office to spread the delicious evangelism. It was a kind of, “everyone’s Polish on paczki day.” Well I was in my grocery store bakery

President Biden's record setting number of executive orders his first few days in office was actually just an extension of a trend established by his predecessors. Some observations:

President Biden's record setting number of executive orders his first few days in office was actually just an extension of a trend established by his predecessors. Some observations: First some orders were justified to repeal questionable Trump executive orders. Some were truly emergency measures. They also reveal a certain impermanence. Obama repealed Bush. Trump repealed Obama. Now Biden repeals Trump. The most important, and most ominous, observation is that this is but the latest chapter in

In 1960 author John Steinbeck traveled across country in a customized camper with his poodle Charley.

In 1960 author John Steinbeck traveled across country in a customized camper with his poodle Charley. He wanted to meet people and get a sense of the country, which he put in his book "Travels With Charley, in search of America." I am still haunted by his stop in New Orleans. He wanted to see the women called "the Cheerleaders" who gathered every day to scream curses at Black children escorted into school by U.S. marshals. One local told him, "Man, oh man, you never heard nothing like it when

Do you own any Mammy salt and pepper shakers? Do you know where they come from? Running now through April 9 at the Pick Museum of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University is an exhibit called Hateful Things. It’s a traveling exhibit by the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia, which houses over 9,000 artifacts.

Do you own any Mammy salt and pepper shakers? Do you know where they come from? Running now through April 9 at the Pick Museum of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University is an exhibit called Hateful Things. It’s a traveling exhibit by the Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia , which houses over 9,000 artifacts. Throughout American history, it was not uncommon to see African Americans depicted as sub-human: cookie jars, calendars, games, movies, product icons, and on. Not just sub-human,

It’s February, the polar vortex is breathing down our necks, and I can’t stop dreaming about swimming -- preferably in water at least 65 degrees, but I’d give it a go even at a few degrees lower. Some of my friends consider me a cold water swimmer, and while I may bask in their acclaim, I simultaneously feel the imposter syndrome kick in. Real cold water swimmers would find temps in the 60s balmy.