What in all the Christmas crackers? I just learned that the Christmas carol “O Tannenbaum” actually means O fir tree, not the English translation of “O Christmas Tree.” What the what, what? The sad part is I’ve been living in my own off-key caroling world, not understanding the ...

I was staying with a friend while she was expecting her first child. We had had similar troubles staying pregnant, and I was there for moral support while she navigated through another pregnancy. Everything became about superstitions, as if these patterns and rituals would finally get her ...

Over the past few weeks, I have been fortunate not to have been involved in any accidents. I am one of the lucky ones. I have been involved in wildlife near misses, assisting others and needing a tow. All that happened in November. It also got me a new pair of snow tires for Christmas. It’s ...

Though it may be difficult getting off the couch after eating a full turkey dinner while arguing over the best use of leftovers, one way to work off the tryptophan is to help keep food pantry shelves full while watching a live concert. The Canadian Pacific-Kansas City Southern Holiday Train ...

I have never liked the idiom, “Don’t cry over spilt milk.” I understand the analogy that we shouldn’t dwell on the errors because we can’t change the past. I also feel like we can cry over something that upsets us while learning from our mistakes. Both things can happen. I recently ...

I was recently working the election polls when an elderly woman asked us if we knew anything about when her food benefits would arrive. We couldn’t answer her question because we aren’t allowed to talk about politics. All I could think about was that she had worked her whole life, retired ...