MY WRITING TUTORIALS claim that one of the best ways to improve one’s writing is to immerse oneself in reading all types and styles of...

A CATCHY FEW LINES CAME TO ME in a Grisham book I was reading this past winter that cracked me up. The paragraph described the...

ALL YOU NEED IN LIFE is baking soda and white vinegar. That thought came to me after I was recently confined to my loft for several...

I SIGNED UP FOR A FACEBOOK account fifteen years ago. I guess I was curious about its popularity and thought I should give it a try. I...

Tigger Alone I once had a cat who sat on my lap. He watched the world letting it gently pass. He up and died which made me sad. I...

NICE SURPRISES FOUND IN MY BACKYARD are always welcomed, especially in the dead of winter. My trip up M-22 to Glen Arbor last week...

MY CULINARY INTERESTS HAVE CERTAINLY changed over my lifetime . Looking back at the diverse foods I encountered certainly brought me...

THIS WINTER BROUGHT old-fashioned snowy conditions to my environs, which I certainly appreciated. It also sparked fond memories from my...

CABBAGE IS A SURPRISING discovery for me; its versatility is evident in the recipes I will try this winter. The above photo is a variety...

I ORDERED AN ACOUSTIC GUITAR as a gift to me on Christmas. It just arrived and I’ve unpacked it. I want to learn twelve classic songs...

I STARTED WRITING regularly during a difficult period in my life. It started in earnest a dozen years ago during a divorce and I read...

ONE OF MY FAVORITE APPLES has been Honeycrisp. Recently it has come under fire for its short shelf life. Its taste can deliver a mediocre experience, characterized by its mushiness. This attribute may be “a kiss of death” for the once-popular variety in the competitive fresh apple market. Then again look at the run the Red Delicious has had - a name that is a contradiction in terms if there ever was one. Last year I wrote about this historically popular red apple and its

A WEEK INTO REALLY SNOWY WEATHER has me making Jenn Segal’s Turkey Chili this weekend. It is so tasty. It has been the standard in my...

I HAVE BEEN STUDYING THE GAME OF BRIDGE for a week using tutorials and videos from the Web. It has been 55 years since I last played the...

WE WOKE TO THREE INCHES of snow Friday morning in greater Traverse City. Reports of 25 inches inland around Gaylord were prevalent in...

IT IS THANKSGIVING WEEK . Flurries are in the air, my golf course finally closed, and I just finished Never by Ken Follett - a rather...

THIS PAST WINTER I had my cataracts removed in both eyes. Cataract surgery is a procedure that eliminates a cloudy lens from the eye and...

I ENJOYED LEARNING ABOUT BAMBOO on my gentlemen’s farm thirty years ago in Leelanau County. I raised ornamental grasses as a hobby and...

AS YOU MAY RECALL , I was a seedsman for a few years in my twenties and have always been fascinated by the world of seeds. Seeds are...

THE TITLE TO THIS ESSAY reminded me of the lyrics, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme made famous by Simon and Garfunkel in their 1966...