School’s Out And The House Is Full – Maybe For The Last Time

School’s Out And The House Is Full – Maybe For The Last Time

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

Memorial Day is Close at Hand – The Summer is Almost Here!

Memorial Day is Close at Hand – The Summer is Almost Here!

Comments 2 comments

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…

Read More Read More

Charcuterie Boards – A Hot “Snack” Trend

Charcuterie Boards – A Hot “Snack” Trend

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

The Retirement Gamble:  Fingers Crossed

The Retirement Gamble:  Fingers Crossed

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

The Best Mother’s Day Gift?  It’s Easier Than You Think

The Best Mother’s Day Gift?  It’s Easier Than You Think

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

Summer Jobs:  It’s a Whole New Ballgame

Summer Jobs:  It’s a Whole New Ballgame

Comments 0 Comment

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…

Read More Read More

What Dreams May Come?

What Dreams May Come?

Comments 1 comment

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…

Read More Read More

Restaurant Review:  District Provision & Supply Co. (Hagerstown, MD)

Restaurant Review:  District Provision & Supply Co. (Hagerstown, MD)

Comments 1 comment

Always on the lookout for something new and local to try, my wife and I had heard that “The Plum”, a downtown Hagerstown daytime lunch staple for years, was now open for dinner.  Now going by the name of District Provision & Supply Co., we headed towards the county seat on a recent Friday night to check them out. After parking in a downtown parking deck, we ambled down the alley that is Rochester Place, just off of West Washington…

Read More Read More

Is A Garden Right For You?

Is A Garden Right For You?

Comments 1 comment

Spring is in the air (although I will admit that the weather lately has hardly been spring like), and with the budding of the trees and the greening of the landscape, thoughts turn to the spring/summer/fall garden. With the ongoing rise in food prices, gasoline, and all things consumer-related, more and more people are contemplating ways to cut costs in their household budgets.  The government is even warning the population about food shortages and ongoing supply problems, making trips to…

Read More Read More

Where the Wild Things Are:  Foraging For Seasonal Foods

Where the Wild Things Are:  Foraging For Seasonal Foods

Comments 1 comment

Spring is making its presence known here locally more and more each week, as my flowering cherry trees are in full bloom, the forsythia bushes are beaming bright yellow, and the red-bud trees and magnolias are coming into flower. Part of the seasonal cycle in my neck of the woods is the opportunity to go foraging for wild plants to add to the dinner table.  Now, before you go saying “what in the world is he doing out there in…

Read More Read More