A month ago, I spent a morning planning finances for 2025. Social Security hasn’t told us if we’re getting a raise, and I was already creating my spending plan for the new year? I was definitely looking for an area to save some bucks. The expenditures were chugging along as anticipated, ...

I love the fall. Apples are my favorite fruit. Usually, I pick one out of the basket and eat it before I leave the orchard. The orchard I go to has samples to eat so you can pick out the type you want. One thing that I really appreciate about apples is their versatility. You can use them in ...

My daughter’s birthday is Sept. 21. We kiddingly used to call her the “last rose of summer.” “Autumnal equinox” just doesn’t have the same ring. My garden’s last summer roses, along with the zinnias, and verbenas, are trying to hang on. But the pumpkin I bought for the front ...

Does the name Mercator mean anything to you? It should if you are between the ages of 60 - 90. They were found in all classrooms of that era – third or fourth grade through high school. They are the selection of maps that every classroom had. The teacher had an array of maps with the ...

Large families always made me jealous. I felt that I was on the outside, looking in. I was a happy only child, but life was quiet. Those laughing clusters of brothers and sisters looked like so much fun. Warm and cozy. Just recently I chatted with two friends who grew up in large families. At ...

As I look out my kitchen window, I cannot help but see that Autumn is approaching. At first, I saw a patch of color in the Pin Oak. Now there are several patches of colorful leaves. Each day as I eat lunch I check my tree. It is too dark in the morning as I eat breakfast. It is strange but that ...