The turkey is thawing in the fridge, laying next to the ham and the veggies for the salad. Thanksgiving is at our house this year, the first time we've had it since 2001. We have a much bigger place this year, and have invited the whole family; every one of them. So, we bought big. 17-pound bird, 10-pound ham. Lots of potatoes and such....all ready for the big feast. Now, the Weather Channel is telling us that 1-3 inches of snow just might be on the ground by Thanksgiving Day. We've already h...
About a year and a half ago, my (soon-to-be) wife and I packed up and moved to Fort Wayne, IN from Weirton, WV; she'd gotten a job out here that looked good and offered an opportunity for advancement within a large, established mortgage company. As I was kind of out of a (good) job, and had nothing better on the horizion, we decided to make the move. We moved up our wedding from Sept. 2004 to December 2003, threw the whole thing together in 3 weeks (try that sometime), and packed up the house ...
My wife and recently moved into a nice little 2-bedroom house, and as I was going through some boxes, I found some old pictures of my family and me. One was a family portrait of my mom, dad, me and our dog, Debbie. I was about 7 or 8 when the picture was taken, in 1975 or 76. My mom died in 1980, at 42, after a long illness; my dad passed away 3 years ago this April, of cancer. He was 61. As their only child, I'm the only one left who remembers certain things; people we knew and events th...
Some time ago, I wrote an article extolling the virtues of the Toys for Tots charity drive, and asking all who read it to be sure to donate to this wonderful cause. While I still believe in it and ask you to donate to TfTs this Christmas season, I just want to give you this little update: I quit my job at Dollar Tree, having gotten a "real" job with the local large entertainment venue, the Veteran's Memorial Coliseum. Pays better and all that; also, no drunk managers......anyway, I stopped ...
Yes, the Holidays are coming, but I personally think that, within 50 years or so, we'll be getting ready for Christmas all year long. I mean, if they keep pushing it back any more, we'll soon be buying Christmas decorations on July fourth. Big Lots had a few things out in August, for cryin' out loud. Stores here had whole aisles of Christmas stuff out a week or two before Halloween. I think it's a shame. The day we celebrate as Jesus' birthday has been turned into a consumer's feeding fr...
If there's one thing that alarms me more than seeing little kids running wild, unattended or unable to be controlled by the parents, it is children over two years old still using a binky. The other day, I was in line at the grocery store, and there was a woman ahead of me, conversing openly with her daughter, seated in the basket's kiddie seat, legs dangling almost to her mother's knees. The child was using a binky. Now, I'm no pediatrician or child care specialist (I'm just a parent..heh...
Hey, folks......the holidays are fast approaching, and as well all know, we'll soon be seeing the red kettles and hearing bells on every corner and outside every store. While the Salvation Army is always a great charity to give your spare change to, I'd like to promote another: Toys for Tots. Every kid deserves something from Santa at Christmas. The US Marine Corps, and many retail stores, are once more joining together in an attempt to make this possible. I work for Dollar Tree, ...
From the 50's right up to the '80s, fatherhood was portrayed on TV as a sacred responsiblity. Fathers were shown as strong, wise, caring, responsible figures in their children's lives that complimented the motherly compassion and warmth of their wives. "Ozzie and Harriet", "Father Knows Best", "Leave it to Beaver", "The Andy Griffith Show"....on up through "The Brady Bunch", "Happy Days", even "All in the Family"...Archie Bunker might have been portrayed as a conservative nutcase, but he d...