Here’s a quick Halloween-inspired story — Never Trust a Donut Friday! This was Stu’s favorite day. Not only because it was the end of the week, but also because he stopped at “The Hole in the Wall”, the best donut shop in town. As the name implies, this was a cozy place, but they
Happy Halloween! I’m writing this after having spent two hours on the front lines, handing out candy at the bottom of a driveway. This has become such a major holiday — I suspect number two now, behind Christmas — that it makes one wonder how we got here. The best explanation I’ve seen so far
You know you exist. Everyone around you can see you exist. But legally, how do you prove it? Yesterday, while I was out running, I listened to a podcast about a young lady who was trying to establish a legal identity. She had been born at home, delivered by a midwife. No birth certificate was
If you were living in the Jurassic era, what kinds of sounds would you expect to hear from dinosaurs? That takes some detective work because soft tissue isn’t usually fossilized. But according to the EarthSky website, a team of scientists has found the vocal organ of a bird that’s a relative of ducks and geese
Here is a poem from my book Some Poems About Life, available on this website, Amazon.com, and Barnes and Noble.com What’s Your Most Prized Possession? What’s your most prized possession? The one you can’t live without? A very personal item, your best without a doubt? Some would choose their I-Pod, their car or favorite
Durable, affordable housing has always been a concern. This was especially true after World War II, when returning veterans needed lots of homes. One novel solution was the Lustron Home. These were made by the Lustron Corporation in Columbus, Ohio for 1948 to 1950. Prefabricated entirely of steel with exteriors that were baked-on glass, they
There is so much we don’t understand about our own brains. I was reminded of this again as I read about a teenager in Georgia who awoke from a coma speaking fluent Spanish. He is Rueben Nsemoh, 16, and was playing soccer when he was kicked in the head diving for a loose ball. He
Something to think about for Halloween — Why do some people find dolls creepy? For example, in San Clemente, California in 2014, dolls began mysteriously appearing on the steps of houses. Even more unusual, each bore a resemblance to a young girl living in that house. The police traced the dolls to a local woman
This was Spirit Week at the local high school. I had a substitute teaching job on Friday, and I got the full impact up close. Why this week? Friday night was a football game with a neighboring suburb, their arch rivals. Over the years, this rivalry has evolved into a higher purpose — it includes
I have always considered the duckbill platypus to be the most unusual mammal. It’s semi-aquatic, the only mammal to lay eggs, and resembles an animal designed by committee. With a duck’s bill, a beaver’s tail, and an otter’s foot, some thought the early specimens were a hoax. But now I have read of an even