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Pie: Apple pie more specifically. With Thanksgiving just passed, many of us enjoyed a good apple pie. Sure, there was pumpkin to accompany the turkey, but in our family multiple pies are offered in the holidays. Apple is surely one. Pecan, pumpkin and others, too. But I almost always choose apple. When I was in college, I was asked what kind of pie did I eat most often. In front of my mom, I answered apple, because I was always looking for a pie as good as mom’s own. Of course my mother was pleased, but it was a true statement just the same. When I was married, Ann’s pie was darned good. Her mother’s recipe. But we fiddled with the recipe until it took on its own generational name, and boy, was it good! Today I still order apple pie for dessert because I am always looking for a great pie to challenge our family recipes. I rarely do find such a prize. Do others do the same? Do you search for a great pie of choice, continually? If you do, what’s your story? Why do you do this? ...

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day . It is a day in American life held annually. We gather with significant others . We enjoy their company. We feel the blessings mof them being in our life, and hopefully the blessing of our life being in theirs. We bow our heads and express thanks for these blessings. Also, we remember those who have passed on. We give thanks for them having been in our life. It is a humbling moment. Heartfelt. This very special day helps us focus on our own life and its promise. We realize honestly that we take so much for granted. Each other. We give ourselves to each other. No gifts. Just ourselves. This is rootedness . Seems simple but it isn’t. Tomorrow let us remember this basic message and bow and bless each other. Happy Thanksgiving! November 26, 2025

Affordable Care Act, the Obama ACA program brought about after much work, compromise and dedication to helping people. The program attempted to solve a problem the nation has fretted about for generations. The solution – the ACA – was not perfect, but it was a good start toward better solutions for generations to come. No one else had been able to muster the support to address the problem. Perfect? No. A promising first step? Yes. The few following years witnessed some adjustments to strengthen the program and reduce the government’s costs. Not great changes, but they helped. More work is needed to improve the program over time. Subsequent congresses need to do that work to serve the needs of the American people. Interestingly, Democrats have done most of this work. Republicans have failed time and again. They are quick to condemn and criticize but never offer a replacement program. Never. They seem to think the public does not deserve universal healthcare. Even now, Trump and ...

Epstein Files : this issue will not go away. Ever. Not only the sitting president is likely involved and guilty of wrongdoing (yet to be adjudicated so let’s suspend judgment for now), but other leaders and possibly presidents as well. This is an ugly issue for any culture. It is a crime that needs full hearing and decisions with the authority of courts. The files need to be released and adjudicated. As necessary, appoint a separate prosecutor and working team that has no connection with the White House officials, elected or not. This is a case that demands rigorous process. Let it be done. Soon. Re-opening the Government : open for business. Pay the people who worked without pay during the shutdown. Rehire those released during the shutdown. Fund the programs the poor, disabled and elderly rely on. Get the job done fast. Examine all the other damage done to our nation by the shutdown and expeditiously repair that damage. Lay blame for this shameless attack on democracy on the Repu...

We learn about life by living it. We are surrounded by people, events, places, weather and what all else. Each teaches us something. Weather is easy; too warm and we feel hot; too cool and we feel cold; in between those extremes there is a world of different experiences, each enlightening us about weather. And its effects on us and our lives. And what to do with it and survive. Doing tasks is learned by need, witnessing others perform them, and of course, trial and error. Doing it right has its rewards, but making mistakes teaches is so much more. That lesson alone, is a paradigm worth deep study. Now people, that’s another area that is already researched, continues to be and will for all eternity. Understanding people is key to knowing them. But knowing is multifaceted and highly variable, always. Plus, the circumstances of being with other people requires many adjustments. We tolerate some because we have to. We walk away from others because we can. We work with others to compl...

I like to eat. No, change that, I love to eat! The blending of ingredients to make a dish with flavor and eye appeal is truly an artform. I appreciate it all, every ingredient. Not just the taste, but the texture, appeal, allure to dig in and taste it. From a very young age, I ate well. You see, my mother was a master maker of casseroles. I learned texture from such meals. Gushy, flavorful, steamy and very approachable. I dug in then and ate it all. I finished most casserole dishes, right down to the last scrape of cheesy something. My wife cooked casseroles. Her mother did as well. Maybe it started during the Great Depression? I don’t know its history, but casseroles have been a part of my lineage, married or not. I think my wife was surprised that I loved casseroles. I coached her on each one, together we improved on each recipe with great delight until it was perfect. In fact, after the divorce, I asked Ann for her recipes. They were all casseroles, oh and a few desserts. I ...

In Illinois, winter always comes. It seems like it is coming, here, or preparing to leave so we can prepare for a few months for the next season’s blast. Long story short, in two seasons or four, there is always winter. Cold air, cold rain, and depending on your geographical location, snow. At first glance, a fresh snowfall is beautiful. Soft. White. Billowy, even. Snow unifies the landscape with mostly white. However, soon after, the melting snow, salt and chemical sprays, and traffic change the snow to black slush and yuck. That’s only the color issue. Of course, there is the slip and slide, the falls and auto crashes, and heavy snows bring the threat of roof collapses. I remember shoveling off my garage roof to keep it from falling in. I propped it up with large poles until the snow load was removed. That was the winter of 1978-79, 93 inches in Chicagoland that season. When I lived in Syracuse, New York, I noted few if any flat roofs. Syracuse gets 128 inches of snow per seaso...

Elections last week gave proof that Americans are moving away from Trumpism to good old fashioned American democracy. The facts of today’s news are simple: the cost of living has risen under Trump, and the tariffs promise much more of the same. Inflation could easily reach 5% by mid-winter if the tariffs are not removed. Supply chain provides the dampened effect so far. Inventory being sold now was imported before tariffs were imposed. Just wait until after Christmas. Or during.  Although gasoline has softened in price, the fact of the matter is oil barrel prices are $60 now while they were $110 back a year. Then we were paying 3.80 to 5.20 per gallon. At $60 per barrel, gas prices should be almost half the old pump price, say 1.80 to 2.40 per gallon. We are nowhere near that, so obviously gas retailers are ripping off the American public once again. Shameful. I drive a hybrid and get about 50 miles per gallon. I also drive locally and very little. 50 miles per week is the norm...

This has been a beautiful fall. I say this in spite of having lived in New England and upstate New York. Fall was a super season of beauty. I recall the surge of tourists from New York City to our Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. Traffic everywhere, mostly “peepers” of fall foliage. Some tourists came from New York State and Boston. But mostly they were from the Big Apple, hungering for country lanes and hills filled with colored leaves. Same here this year. Maybe not the hills, but the foliage has been stupendous. As has the rest of the year, in my opinion. 2025 may be a year of tremendous political upset and anger, but the weather has been superb. Each and every season. Winter was mild; oh yes, we had a few cold snaps, but not a lot, and certainly snow was not up to its usual depths. Spring came early, warm snaps followed by cooling, then more warmth and blooming trees and shrubs everywhere. Summer was warm, hot, but there were a lot of blue-sky days. Storms were few and...

Birth is the beginning. Death is the end. In between is life. And all that contains, implies and remembered. As we approach Thanksgiving, our family gathers. Only last year it was without my husband, Rocky. An emptiness was felt. This year we were to note the passing of Howard, Ann’s (my ex) husband of 30 years. Sadly, Ann died just as unexpectedly from pancreatic cancer in October. So, this year we will feel the emptiness of three loved ones. That is a stark reality. One so large we are reeling. Will we gather for Thanksgiving? If so, will it be the same format at Liz and Dan’s home? Or will we go out, cater it in or do nothing. I think we will meet as usual, mourn together, and bond as the family remaining. After all, new generations will happen, and some of us will be gone from that gathering. Some will say that life seems a bit lacking, futile even. Truly, that is not so. Each person, each generation of which they are a part, are unique, of value, and provide the sustenance o...

·          Wearing Out: Things we use every day show wear. Soon they exhibit more than a hole or two, or frayed edges that redefine the term entirely. Their usefulness remains in part, but they now look ugly. Reluctantly we will replace them. Mind you, we continue to use them until the replacement is received. And then there is the dance when to replace, when to toss, and so forth. With a surge of purpose, the old are tossed and the new unwrapped and installed. Sometimes this action is quick; often it is slow, very slow. Reluctant, you know?   ·          Connectedness: An email from an old colleague or client appears in the inbox. I open it. It is good to feel the familiar ‘voice’ and rekindle the connection we once had. The mind floods with memories and recall. The details form, the email conversation yields to a phone call or Zoom session. More recall and fresh thinking on the matters at hand. Once ...

I could keep a techie busy full time. Yes, the problems are consistent and present in my life. At times I feel doomed. I know this is a common complaint of many. In my case, 82 years of age is the main issue, but huge tech changing at a fast pace is most likely the larger issue. If you are young you deal with this continuously and probably don’t notice it. In my case and my fellow elders, we adjusted to new technology decades ago and used it nonstop for interceding decades. We know what we are talking about and experiencing. We have learned and forgotten much more than you can imagine. Just think of that! Today I have files of all sorts created on many software platforms using different computer systems. I started with an IBM desktop in 1978, moved to a series of Dells and now a Lenovo. Olson and Compac niggles my memory, too, but that was back in the 80’s. Today’s Lenovo is a special system that is voice activated. Interesting note is that we bought it for Rocky when he had just h...