My Grandpa John was born in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin in 1898. This was his baby shoe. Pretty fancy and impractical, huh? When my Grandpa was an adolescent, his older brother George, a very promising and brilliant young man, fell from a racing ice boat, hit his head on the frozen lake, and died. It was [...]
Coming up with Christmas card ideas was much easier when the boys were little. Like the time I bought them all black turtlenecks and asked our dear friend, talented photographer Paul Crane, if he would use a black backdrop. Paul very kindly went out and bought one just for our shoot, he later admitted. I [...]
It’s always enlightening to have one’s foibles pointed out. “Do I really say that?” “I sound like that? Really?” Sometimes it’s not even necessary to seek confirmation. This morning as Hugh rummaged in the pantry to make his lunch (see post labeled Sifting Crumbs from Cheezits, last week), he said, “Malcolm honey, would you run [...]
Kids today are taught all about Stranger Danger. I think this too often tips over into hysteria and teaches children to be paranoid and afraid of, well, everyone. But the pendulum always swings. Here’s a rather shocking little essay from a 1904 children’s third grade reading primer, when there was apparently very little suspicion about the [...]
There I stood at 7:15 this morning, the dregs of a box of Cheezits in a metal colander, shaking it gently back and forth to allow the crumbs to fall through into the kitchen sink so the Cheezits would be deemed worthy of inclusion in a plastic baggy in a school lunch. I’m rather proud of this bit [...]
Two cookbooks I’ll be using today: My little brother’s church youth group put together the yellow cookbook as a fundraiser. Just getting out this old spiral-bound standby is like opening up a trunk in the attic. Memories come pouring out. With a story behind every recipe and cook, this humble book is an artifact in my personal history. [...]
In two days, my blogging partner turns 40. So I’m posting this today, because typically we don’t write over the weekend. Happy Birthday, dear Emily! And thank you, Brook, for secretly sending me your baby’s baby photo. I promise to mail it straight back to you. Emily is famous for her contagious smile, her sharp wit, her [...]
So the Big Three automakers are groveling in Washington, DC, begging for a bailout. As an occasional new car buyer, I sense a rare and precious opportunity for revenge. Before giving them an answer on their bailout question, I’d like to usher each guy into a separate little overheated cubicle “while I go get my manager.” My manager, [...]
One of the things I most love about parenthood is the spontaneous creativity constantly simmering in our household. Malcolm is often playing guitar or practicing his “tags” on the grocery list. Ian’s paintbrushes, canvases and sketchbooks have taken over the first floor as he works on his senior portfolio. Hugh keeps us laughing with his quick [...]
The last time I saw the Phillies play in the World Series, it was 1993. Chris and I were waving around a craft-store bird painted blue and hung upside down from a golf putter as a taunt to the Blue Jays. Kudos to our friend Jim Fryer who created the effigy. At the time, Ian [...]
