I had a conversation with an old friend of mine on Zoom. I have known him since childhood when I’d leave him a couple of spritz cookies and a glass of milk every year. “Did you find your gift under the tree?” he asked. “Yes, thank you! You know I collect dachshund figurines. I liked ...

Winter so far has been a rollercoaster of weather, with snowy and cold conditions in early December, followed by 40-degree Fahrenheit temperatures, the loss of snow cover, a return of snow, strong winds and then a repeat of the cycle. As a gardener, I’ve learned to appreciate snow cover ...

I walked by my shiny guitar in our music room. My previous goal was to learn how to play it. I had several guitar books neatly stacked on a nearby table. In the last year, I learned about seven chords, but then life became wildly busy with graduations, a wedding, work travel and the ...

I picked up some food items from the grocery store for some work-related videos and paid for them with a credit card. I needed my receipt in order to be reimbursed, so I carefully tucked it into my purse — or so I thought. The next day, the receipt was nowhere to be found. The zipper on my ...

It’s that time of year again — garden centers and greenhouses are well-stocked with beautiful holiday plants. They make great gifts for friends and families. Nothing looks better on a table or desk than a blooming Christmas cactus or the red foliage of a poinsettia! However, I would argue ...

I must have unplugged the vacuum, I thought to myself when it suddenly stopped working. I walked over to check. The vacuum was still connected. Maybe I blew a fuse. I flipped on a light switch to go to the basement. The lights didn’t work, either. We were in the middle of our first ...