When I started writing this year’s blog posts back on January 3, 2025, I had no illusions that it would be an easy 365 days in America. My first clue should have been naming the annual category “Survive ’25.” I knew it was going to be a bumpy ride politically. But knowing our dear friend would be in the hospital for nearly 50 of those first 365 days wasn’t on my bingo card. Or hers, I imagine. By the grace of God, along with her devoted spouse and incredible persistence and determination, she’s doing just fine, thanks. I’d also like to think our text-thread support team helped as well. Another…
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Digital doo-doo
It’s not just for pigs anymore. What was once known simply as liquid waste, mud or unappetizing food now inhabits our phones. In fact, it’s on all of our electronic devices. And it may be even worse than spam, junk or, for heaven’s sake, the dreaded clickbait. This insidious yucky stuff known as “slop” is infiltrating our lives online in record time. Not surprisingly, it is Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year for 2025. Allow me to look it up for those of you who choose to lead a more meaningful, analog life. Slop is the onslaught of low-quality, artificial intelligence-generated content that fills our social media feeds and seeps into every…
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‘Silent Night’
It’s finally happened. The reigning queen of Christmas has lost her crown. For now, at least. This month, Mariah Carey’s 1994 perennial hit “All I Want for Christmas is You” was dethroned on the global stage as the only top holiday song on Billboard’s Global 200 chart since Mary met Joseph in Nazareth. Seriously, it began in 2020 when Billboard started keeping track of such things because there was spare time during the pandemic. For the 2025 holiday season, “Last Christmas” by Wham! (remember George Michael and his bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley?) was just named the most-played Christmas song worldwide. That includes primo popularity status on the radio, streaming platforms and holiday playlists – virtually everywhere. “Last Christmas”…
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Full of beans
There I was, the day after Thanksgiving, standing in Aisle #5 at our neighborhood Kroger grocery store. Staring at the coffee. I had been tasked with picking up a few items for Rebecca, who was making homemade soup – not one but two kinds: split pea with ham and turkey vegetable with egg noodles. Yummy leftovers are just one of the perks of spending Thanksgiving with a couple of culinary guys who routinely serve Italian sausage, chicken wings and Wagyu sliders as … appetizers. (You two are too fabulous for words, B&T. Even the ambrosia was to die for!) Anyhow, my shopping list included five things: celery, carrots, potatoes, chicken broth and egg noodles.…
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Be a goldfish
My goodness, you go on the injured reserve list for a few weeks (OK, seven), and all kinds of crazy happens in this upended world of ours. It’s been a minute, as the cool kids say. Good thing I don’t have paid subscribers, or you’d all demand refunds. No, we haven’t “gone on holiday” in the south of France, Tuscany or even northern Michigan. I’ve been busy recuperating from a September 19 knee replacement. (Incidentally, that was the last day the U.S. House of Representatives was in session to do actual work. But I digress.) I had my left knee done this time. Another partial replacement, not full. So now…
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Shots and prayers
Since 2001, today has been a day of remembrance and mourning reserved for the anniversary of 9/11 when we lost nearly 3,000 people in the deadliest terrorist attacks in human history. Now 24 years later, it is also a day for reflection on who we have become as a nation. For me, yesterday was just another Wednesday. Or so I thought. Rebecca had gone on a solo Costco run, and I brought up some autumn stuff from the orange and black plastic bins to add fall decor to the house. A smallish gnome wizard and a white-bearded gnome holding a pumpkin. My vintage Halloween Peanuts tree that won’t light. A…
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Bunch of baloney
I’m a little “off” this week. With Labor Day on Monday and trash pickup today instead of yesterday, it messes up my routine. Ah, the tragic laments of an OCD retiree. Though, it’s not bad enough to make me relinquish the official end of summer celebration that honors the achievements of hard-working Americans and their contributions to our nation’s strength and well-being. The first Labor Day parade was held in New York City on September 5, 1882. Organizers fought hard for things we now take for granted: eight-hour workdays, minimum wage, time off, workplace health and safety standards. Also, against the use of child labor. The struggle was real – then and…
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Southern comfort
My absolute favorite TV legal analyst is the inimitable Joyce Vance. When she speaks, people listen – including me. And then I realize just how much there is I don’t know about American history and the law. She’s a civics class, historical reference book and trusted legal mind all rolled up into one fine human being. A constitutional law professor at University of Alabama School of Law, Vance seems to be everywhere, including writing her daily chart-topping Substack newsletter, “Civil Discourse.” She ends every one of her posts with this tagline: “We’re in this together.” Vance also is part of the weekly “Sisters in Law” podcast. And she still has time to tend…
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The art of death cleaning
At this moment, we have two dear friends not only mourning the loss of a parent, but also tasked with going through their loved ones’ personal belongings before putting their homes up for sale. For most offspring of a certain generation, this unenviable task has become almost inevitable, filled with emotional and sometimes financial stress. Might be a good idea to start this process before we die, don’t you think? Go through your stuff now so your children won’t have to rent a Dumpster after you kick the bucket. Last week, our kind neighbor across the street, a recent widow, decided to do just that. She has a 20-yard lime green Dumpster sitting on…
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Playable history
Rebecca has this outrageous theory about my three favorite things in life. For nearly 16 years when we were service humans to our beloved dog Madison, she used to say the top-ranked items in my world were “Madison, Mustang and me” (meaning her), as in she played third fiddle to a dog and a car. Not just any dog or car, mind you. Still, she believed she was “last but not least” in the hierarchy. After we lost dear Maddie in April 2024, Rebecca’s ranking moved up a notch – maybe two. But I’m afraid her recent rise to the top may have been short lived, since I’ve added a…
