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Can’t Lose If You Don’t Bet

“I’ll be you can’t climb that tree as high as I can,” one sibling said to me. And I replied, “bet I can,” and I did. But that was the extent of our betting as kids. My siblings and I grew up in a home with a dad who abhorred illegal gambling. In fact, he didn’t approve of most any type of games of chance. There were no poker games with money on the table in our home. When our school sent home raffle tickets, we were told to politely return them to our teachers. No gambling meant no gambling. Our father’s deep disgust for illegal gambling had him taking on some of ...

Do You See What I See?

I’ll take it — those one or two more minutes of daylight as the days move on are welcome in my backyard. While I don’t care for the sky to remain dark until after 7:30 a.m., I truly appreciate the lighter afternoons into the evenings. I believe autumn and winter sunsets are among the most beautiful sights. Today’s sun dipped ever so slightly slower into a melting horizon of blaze orange and navy blue. It was as if painter extraordinaire Bob Ross was at work from his heavenly perch. There are various places throughout this Ohio Valley where it is worth taking a minute or two ...

Mall Rats Unite

I guess I should not have been surprised. Still I was in a little shock when we walked inside the mall located at the first exit in Washington, Pennsylvania. We had arrived early for a nearby doctor’s appointment and decided to walk around the inside of the mall to kill some time. It was cold and snowy outside so the mall would allow us shelter from the storm. But when we walked into the mall, it was a chilly reception to say the least. If the heat was on, it was not competing well with the outdoor temperatures. As we walked inside, our footsteps echoed loudly as the place once ...

Do You Smell Something Burning?

It didn’t matter what I did, it was still there. Maybe it was not as strong, but it was still there. No matter what I did to wash my husband’s work uniforms, the smell of smoke would hit my nose when ironing them. It wasn’t for lack of trying. It’s just what it is when you are married to a firefighter. When they have battled a significant blaze, sometimes for long hours, the smell of smoke simply remains a part of them They can shower off the soot and grime. They can hang their bunker coats up to air out. They can stuff their boots with newspaper to dry them out. Yet, the ...

Tending The Flock

It’s quiet. Other than the flapping noise of our flags on the flagpole outside our front door, there are few sounds to disturb the quiet landscape. The thick blanket of snow has muffled most noise. In the stillness, I strain to listen to the nature around me. As I approach the bird feeders, there are some very distinct voices greeting me. The birds eagerly await my arrival and let me know with their melodic songs. The tiny finches, the gorgeous red cardinals, the cooing doves and the other assorted winged creatures are excited to see me. They know I am going to ensure their meal ...

This Is the Year

This is the year — 2025 — when I told myself I would do my best to get better organized. It’s not a New Year’s resolution, just a plan in my mind. I hope I can bring it to fruition. I believe I got a good start on Tuesday night. While the TV was blasting out college football bowls and later some of the New Year’s Eve events from New York City, I was sitting at my computer contemplating my 2025 plan. I decided I did not need to wait until the famous New Year’s ball dropped for me to get motivated. One of the first things I did was a small start. I took down the 2024 ...