A Slice of the Pie: Finding control – The benefits of downtime
When I was in my early teens my family spent several summers gillnet fishing on the coast of Alaska. We lived in a one-bedroom cabin – me, my much younger sister, my parents and a […]
A Slice of the Pie: Big things, unseen – What young kids think about a pandemic
What do young kids think about this pandemic? How much are they internalizing what is going on around them during this confusing time of school closures, physical distancing and constant healthcare discussions? I find myself […]
A Slice of the Pie: Curiosity time – Creating opportunities for learning in the age of coronavirus
What I’ve learned so far… Things have changed so rapidly in our world for the past two weeks that I could have written an entirely different parenting column every single day. I also could have […]
A Slice of the Pie: Jar of Awesome – An easy way to capture your family’s best memories
“Enjoy this time because it’ll be over before you know it,” is possibly the single most cruel sentence one can utter to a new parent, yet the compulsion to say it is hard to resist. […]
A Grin at the End: Harry’s whistlin’ – Lessons in hard work, fun times
I’ve had a lot of jobs over the years. I was a dishwasher at the Woolworths luncheonette in the King of Prussia, Pennsylvania shopping mall; a bass player in several rock bands; a newspaper reporter […]
A Grin at the End: Being the best… That your genes will allow
When he wasn’t chopping down cherry trees, George Washington used to keep a list of things he could do to improve himself. He did it in the form of a self-help booklet, and while some […]
A Grin at the End: Small towns … Big hearts
I love small towns. I’ve lived in several – in Oregon, Minnesota and Alaska. Unless I was forced to, I’d never live in a big city. But I’ve been at a loss to explain to […]
Almost Canada: A prize before the journey even starts
I am standing on a spit of land that curls into the Pacific Ocean. As the sun drifts lower in the evening sky, the far-away islands take on a golden hue, basking in the summer […]
A Grin at the End: Only a breath away from being president
Who’s it going to be?
By the time the Democrats meet for their national convention in Denver at the end of this month, and the Republicans meet in Minneapolis during the first part of September; speculation over who Barack Obama and John McCain will choose as running mates will have reached a crescendo.
Will it be some young up-and-comer or some old-line party operative? Will it be a breath of fresh air or the same-old same-old, as they say in politics?