Browsed by
Author: James Snyder

Take a Hike!  Get Out and Stretch Your Legs!

Take a Hike!  Get Out and Stretch Your Legs!

No doubt you’ve read about the health benefits of walking.  It’s the simplest exercise you can do, and the more steps you take, the better (the recommendation is 10,000 steps per day, but that varies from person to person).  It’s also a great time to let your mind wander and take a mental break from your daily duties. Now, I hear you complaining already.  Where can I walk at?  I just don’t have the time to go and hike somewhere. …

Read More Read More

Earth Day: Ways to Celebrate It

Earth Day: Ways to Celebrate It

Yes, another holiday is coming up this week.  Earth Day is making its annual appearance on Tuesday, 4/22/25 (because apparently people have to be reminded about which planet they actually live on). First celebrated in 1970, this was a day created to raise awareness about environmental issues and to encourage the care and nurturing of our natural ecosystems via community projects and political action (the Environmental Protection Agency was also created in 1970 – but who knows how long their…

Read More Read More

Easter Is Here!  What Weirdness Awaits?

Easter Is Here!  What Weirdness Awaits?

It’s time once again for me to dive onto the Oriental Trading Company’s spring catalog to check out their weird and wonderful selection of Easter-themed religious toys and games!  If you’re new to this blog, this is an annual pilgrimage for me, as you never know just what wild and wacky ways the lads and lasses at OTC think their products will strike a chord with today’s youth.  Let’s get started, shall we? Personalized Bendable Jesus Well, so much for…

Read More Read More

The Masters: Golf’s Perfect Tournament

The Masters: Golf’s Perfect Tournament

Baseball has the World Series, Football has the Superbowl, but one of golf’s crown jewels takes place this coming week. The Masters. The first major of the season, it is, in my humble opinion, the greatest golf tournament of the entire year (sorry, U.S. Open, British Open, and PGA Championship, but it’s true).  That haunting piano theme and the smooth tones of announcer Jim Nantz will soon fill my office as the tournament kicks off this Thursday and I dutifully…

Read More Read More

Morning Glory: My Time To Shine

Morning Glory: My Time To Shine

There are two types of people in this world – early birds and night owls. I am a card-carrying member of the first club.  Oh, in my younger years, I was well-versed with all of the trappings of the second group, living my 20’s and 30’s like some sort of Eastern European vampire.  Back in those days we never even left the house to go out to a bar until 11:00 PM, and I had had many unfortunate instances where…

Read More Read More

Spring is Here!  There’s Work To Be Done

Spring is Here!  There’s Work To Be Done

Although it doesn’t quite feel like it all the time just yet, we have seen some glimpses of spring temperatures sneak into the weather these last two weeks.  The crocuses have already come and gone, the daffodils are starting to bloom, and the flowering cherry trees in front of my house are just about at their peak perfection, which is always a sign that the weather has turned.  Soon, the redbuds will appear, along with magnolias and Bradford pears (which…

Read More Read More

St. Patrick’s Day:  The Truth from the Blarney

St. Patrick’s Day:  The Truth from the Blarney

Ahh, St. Patrick’s Day.  A day when everyone thinks they’re just a little Irish, but like most people who believe anything they see on Facebook or Tik-Tok, the holiday (and the country of Ireland for that matter) is full of falsehoods and things that are taken as truths – but really aren’t.  Here’s a brief rundown on some of them. St. Patrick drove all of the snakes out of Ireland Supposedly, the good reverend stood on a hill, gave a…

Read More Read More

Spring Is Almost Here – Time For Some Yard Work

Spring Is Almost Here – Time For Some Yard Work

Sure, we have a few more weeks left of Ol’ Man Winter, but this past week, the temps finally broke out of the nightly teens and daytime highs hit the 50’s for a few days. That means it’s time for the annual yard clean-up. Now, if you’ve read past blogs, you know that I like yard work about as much as I like passing a kidney stone or suffering through a bout of shingles, but surprisingly – this year it’s…

Read More Read More