My friend Grace organized an event to celebrate Midwestern culture this weekend. She called it “A Midwest Midsummer Night’s Meal,” and the invitation included phrases like “Bringeth thy cass’roles!” and “A potluck feast ‘mongst thy neighb’rs.” So of course our … Continue reading
Marci and I recently finished the first season of the Netflix revival of Little House on the Prairie, originally inspired by the books written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and popularized by the television series of the same title from the … Continue reading
Yesterday was a good sports day. In the morning, I got about a hundred dollars’ worth of official FIFA World Cup 2026 merchandise for just ten bucks. Two T-shirts, a ball-cap, and a pin. When we were in Dallas in … Continue reading
Marci and I don’t usually get each other gifts for our wedding anniversary celebrations. Instead, we prioritize some sort of getaway: just the two of us, at least one night away from our regular environment. There have been a few … Continue reading
We did it! We made it to the highest point on An Teallach with clear skies that afforded an amazing view of the surrounding Highlands. And it felt like such a gift. Jay and I made it part-way up the … Continue reading
There’s a scene in the film Anchorman where one of the characters reveals a hidden treasure trove of colognes to his coworker, saying, “Time to musk up.” And I think of that scene more than you might expect: when making … Continue reading
Legend has it that Dr. Pepper bemoaned the annual dip in sales that came each winter, back in the middle part of the 20th Century. So they decided to launch a campaign to market Hot Dr. Pepper as a winter … Continue reading
I recently finished reading Christian Cackler’s history, Recollections of an Old Settler. I found it in the Ohio Room at the Kent Free Library, while looking for resources about the people groups who inhabited Northeast Ohio before the western migration by settlers of … Continue reading
It’s been one year since my Dad died, so I decided to make a day of it: a whole “Day of Grief.” Two days, really, since I had somehow gotten it into my head that yesterday was going to be … Continue reading
This is now the fourth year that our family has observed a Santerklucia Weekend, and it’s interesting to notice the ways that our traditions continue to shift and settle. Olivia’s Graduation and its accompanying snowstorm played a significant role in … Continue reading