I am making a patchwork Christmas quilt. The pattern is “Piece by Piece”, designed by Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr of Modern Quilt Studio located in Oak Park, Illinois. This project requires that I cut and stitch together 1084 pieces from 47 different printed fabrics. This will take a while – probably 60 hours or [...]
Living with joy starts from within. Each of us is enough. Our lives have value with or without life partners. To a large extent, you get to choose how you wish to live. Some of us wish to live with spouses, life partners, etc. And if we don’t have them, how do we find them? [...]
I derive great pleasure from charitable giving. Knowing that my relatively modest gifts make a difference in other people’s lives is gratifying. There are thousands and thousands of charities needing support. It’s just a matter of finding one that speaks to your heart. My heart is drawn to sponsoring children in need. Through organizations such [...]
A new year is almost upon us. Time to start making those New Year’s Resolutions … right? Well, maybe not so fast. Consider first making a list of “Lessons Learned This Year.” Think about what you have learned this year… about yourself – maybe previously unrecognized strengths or talents … about your dreams … about [...]
What are the things that you love? Here are some photos of what I love: I love my family and friends. I love nature, especially the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes area. I love sharing – this photo was taken in Haiti with Eduardo whom we are helping with his educational expenses. I love gardening. I love [...]
I love to look at stars. But this is very difficult in metropolitan skies where there is almost always a faint glow from the city lights. Stars can be seen in the suburbs, but usually only the brightest ones. But go out into the country and on a cloudless night, and you will see that [...]
Dashboard Data & Measuring Ourselves This morning I was driving to work along a local parkway, listening to WGN and going with the traffic flow. I happened to look down at my speedometer and gasped – I was going 77 in a 40 mph zone. What’s worse was that EVERYONE was doing the same speed. [...]
“I’d rather eat a bug!” So someone exclaimed to me recently. It got me thinking. What does this phrase really mean? In some parts of the world, there are folks who enjoy eating toasted or deep fried insects. It’s an excellent source of protein. My fairly finicky daughter surprised me by eating 4 deep fried [...]
Lately there’s been talk about certain presidential candidates and their lack of First Ladies (aka wives). I find this both amusing and sad. It’s amusing because this lack of a wife has no relevance to the qualifications for performing effectively as the Leader of the Free World. It’s sad because of the narrow mindset that expects [...]
This morning I sat by the lake. It’s been a busy first weekend in May opening up the cottage for another summer season. Soon tall the cottages in the neighborhood will be full of exuberant noise. Splashing. Laughter. Chugging of boat motors. Barking – some of it from dogs. But now in the [...]
