Items of local interest to the four-state area (Western Md, Southern PA, Northern VA, and Eastern WV).
Did you ever feel you have a “million dollar” idea? Not that you’d literally make a million dollars, but an idea you feel just “can’t miss”? My wife and I get these all the time. For example, years ago, we thought that if a pet food company came out with cans of gravy – just gravy – they’d make a fortune. We even named our idea – “Auntie Leigh’s Happy Lappin’ Cat Gravy”. Sure fire winner right there, and apparently…
I’m giving you fair warning. Father’s Day is Sunday, June 19th. That’s next week. Mark your planner, add a note to your phone, do whatever it takes to remind you. Understand that I’m not speaking for myself, as my girls are pretty good about remembering – but I wanted to make sure everyone else is aware. I’m doing my part to draw attention to all the hard-working, patient men out there who spend each day making sure their families are…
Ahhhhhhh, beer. The working man’s blue-collar drink. Since the dawn of civilization, skilled craftsmen have performed their magical alchemy and carefully brewed hops and barley, producing a golden elixir that has been celebrated and enjoyed for centuries. Throughout history, any town worth its salt has had a brewery. It was as common as a church, town hall, or marketplace. With the industrial age came homogenization and standardization. Local brewers were bought out or run out of business by large national…
Another school year has ended at my house. My daughters are both home from college – one finishing up her junior year and one halfway through her sophomore year (already). As I was loading up the car from yet another dorm move-out, it occurred to me that this was probably the last summer we’d all spend together under one roof. Once graduated, my oldest will most likely look for her own place elsewhere, hoping to utilize her English degree (with…
Believe it or not, this coming weekend is the Memorial Day holiday weekend. The “unofficial” start of summer is here (and if the preview of temperatures over the past week or so is any indication, it’s going to be a hot one). Here are some of the things that bring the summer season to life: Cookouts and swim parties. The scent of suntan lotion in a hot car. Evenings spent gently rocking on a porch swing and watching the fireflies…
Summer is almost upon us, and if you’re out and about at a concert, festival, picnic, or looking for food options to take with you out into the wild, wild, wilderness, a great and trending option is a charcuterie board. Excuse me, a what? Charcuterie, a French tradition (of course), is the “art” of preparing and displaying cured meats and cheeses. In other words, its a fancy meat and cheese tray. Those crazy French. But it’s so much more. A…
As I am entering my mid-50’s this year, I have started to seriously look at my exit strategy from work – hopefully sooner than later. Yes, the pull of retirement is a strong one, and honestly, I’m tired of working. I’ve tried to do the “right thing” during my working career (now entering its 4th decade) – keeping my debt down, saving the maximum in my employer-sponsored retirement plans, putting aside an emergency fund, and saving for my kids’ college…
Attention procrastinators! Mother’s Day is just around the corner (Sunday, May 8th), and you may be scrambling to think of that perfect gift for Mom on her special day. Should you take her to lunch, brunch, or dinner? Well, restaurant statistics point out that Mother’s Day is the busiest restaurant day of the year (Sorry, Dads, you come in at a distant 3rd place). If you haven’t made a reservation somewhere by now, chances are you aren’t going to, and…
Warmer weather is fast approaching, and if you’re a parent of older kids (like me), the search is just beginning for them to land a summer job. Now, back in my day (we’re talking the 1980’s here), a job that paid more than $5 or $6 an hour was pretty hard to find. Sure, you could flip burgers, mow lawns, or find some other seasonal profession, but the pay wasn’t all that great (although to be fair, I can still…
It seems like the older I get, the more I am remembering my nightly dreams. Of course, I don’t think I’ve had a good night’s sleep since 2005, but that’s a different story. Dreams are a common – and necessary – part of everyone’s nightly sleep cycle. They happen during the REM (rapid-eye movement) portion of a nightly sleep cycle. Your body shifts from REM to non-REM sleep many times during the night, and – as it happens – you…