Whoopee!

Niagara Falls, Ontario. Whoopee! Boy there’s a lot going on in that town — a lot more than I remembered. Of course the last time your humble scribe visited said water attraction, he was with a group of smart-alec ninth graders from Sashabaw Junior High School — and that my friends was, as ancient Native […]

Sometimes it pays to listen

I know there is an old saying, cliche or adage that goes something like this: Don’t crap in your own backyard. I reckon it makes sense. If you’re gonna raise a stink about something, it is far more pleasant to do it farther from where you live, than closer. Where you live should be a […]

Sunday a.m. TV commercials ain’t what they used to be . . .

So, it’s a recent Sunday morning at Casa D’Rush. Two of the Rush lads are up, hair askew, pj’s rumpled, the sleep barely out of our eyes. It’s sometime between 7 a.m. and 7:25, which means the 4,721-day-old Shamus is still sound asleep, the way almost-teenagers are before eight bells ring from the morning clock. […]

The Wonderful World of DEET

Just like the weather in Michigan, clothes styles and the way folks wear their hair, I have come to believe all things change. Nothing of this earth is stoic, static or simply stuck in one place. What threw me over the edge and to my revelation was a recent trip to the store. One of […]

Humility, gratitude all part of Thanksgiving

Historically speaking, this is the time of year, the one day of 365, we set aside to be thankful for graces bestowed. And, it is no secret it will be harder for some to be thankful this year. There has been loss of love; much financial calamity; emotional pain; too much suffering — and, I’m […]

Change is a good thing, right?

I must be a very shallow man. Maybe I’m just thick in the noggin? Son Shamus has taken to calling me, ‘Dad.? I’m not used to it and I am not sure how I feel about it. Let me back up here a moment. The word ‘dad? is not a four-letter word, hence some would […]

‘And now . . . the rest of the story?

Lickity-split and just like that we are knee-deep into the holiday season. Hot damn and pass the eggnog! I love this time of year . . . it is not even Thanksgiving yet, and I have Christmas music playing (softly, as not to bum out the rest of the staff here at the paper) on […]

Things sure have changed in 228 years

This past weekend with fireworks and much merriment, we celebrated the declaration of our country’s independence. Not, as some get confused, our being independent from the old world’s superpower, England. On July 4, 1776 we merely announced to the world that we were free and were prepared to back up our words with action. ‘When […]

It’s really December? Already? Yikes.

By the time this column hits the streets, the first week in December, 2010 will be in full swing. That means it’s only a few short weeks to Christmas. And, that means I am still on track for gift purchasing to take place in about 22 days. Which means if I can save a dollar […]

Do female frogs croak?

Growing up in the late 1960s through the 1970s one of the things my family did together, after dinner, most nights, was watch game shows. We watched Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune, Match Game, Family Feud, The Price is Right, Let’s Make a Deal and Hollywood Squares. (I am sure there’s more, but space is tight.) […]