Individuals face make-or-buy decisions every day. Cook dinner or order takeout? Fix a leaky faucet or call a plumber? Bake a cake or buy one? Clothing was once part of that equation, too. My older…

Going backward is not my favorite thing. I’m not a fan of walking backward, backing into a parking space (parallel parking is another mystery), or redoing a project I’ve already finished. But there’s one exception.…

Halloween has a way of putting bones on our minds. Skeletons are appearing on porches, in front yards — and even in trees. My recent YouTube discovery had a surprising connection to the season: a…

Temperatures have started their fall descent, and frost is predicted for this evening. The scenery in my neighborhood is changing, too. Leaves are accumulating on lawns and sidewalks, and pumpkins are appearing on porches. Most…

I still remember the puzzles in Highlights for Children, the magazine that made reading a little more fun. Hidden Pictures challenged me to find pencils, teacups and other objects camouflaged in illustrations. Spot-the-difference games tested…

My neighborhood is changing. The trees are trading green leaves for red, orange and gold. Leaves scatter across sidewalks, and mums have replaced summer’s impatiens, petunias and geraniums. Inflatable pumpkins, ghosts and ghouls are everywhere.…

I admit there are things I didn’t know, things I now know — and plenty of things I suspect I will never know. There was a time when cache, cookies and spam were words I…

Names matter. We give them to people, places, products, foods—and puppies. Sometimes we choose a name because we love its meaning. Sometimes we wonder where a name came from. And sometimes, a name can mean…

Most of us have memories tied to the sound of a bell. School bells. Church bells. Doorbells. Each one signals a moment we recognize. But bells can also mark something more profound — a life…

Labor Day has always felt like a little pause button. Summer is winding down, vacations are behind us, and it’s back-to-school time. For me, Labor Day also brings back memories. I remember spending the holiday…

I have a confession: I’m terrible at picking favorites. Apparently, my son inherited that trait. Ask him what he wants for dinner, which shirt he likes or what movie he wants to watch, and a…

Time for a little nostalgia. Remember childhood games that required nothing more than a group of kids and a few simple rules? In Red Light, Green Light, everyone moved on “green light” and froze on…

You don’t have to have seen the movie, Field of Dreams to know its most famous line: “If you build it, he will come.” The 1989 movie tells the story of an Iowa farmer who…

Behind the congratulations, welcome gifts and newborn smiles, there is sometimes a different reality. A new mother may be exhausted and overwhelmed. She may feel hopeless. She may have terrifying thoughts she doesn’t want —…

“The ways we miss our lives are life.” — Richard Ford, Independence Day It’s a simple thought, but one that rings true. One of the quiet ironies of adulthood is that we spend so much…