There we are, all lined up on the front lawn of my grandparents’ house, smiling self-consciously and dressed in our Easter finery. My grandfather is taking our picture with his square, black Kodak box camera and when it’s developed and we all have prints, the photos will take their places in our family albums, next to the previous year’s pictures.
It may seem as though it took forever to get here, but we are, finally, nearing the first day of spring, March 20. The first “official” day of spring, that is; we all know that means little or nothing when it comes to what will actually happen as far as the weather goes.
Ten thousand steps a day, that’s what it will take to get those pounds off, along with some 12 or 13 other suggestions for losing weight. It’s the current obsession, as we’re all aware; how to lose those pounds that too many of us in the U.S. have been packing on during the past decade or so.
Pigs have suffered from a bad reputation probably from the time they first got tangled up with cavemen. At that time, of course, they were wild boars with ferocious tusks and a lot of hair, and no doubt deserved their fierce depictions on cave walls.
The next time you feel like complaining about the cost of a cup of coffee, remind yourself that it could be worse. A lot worse; $500 per pound worse, to be exact.
It’s January of a new year, and there’s no escaping the inevitable blather about what’s “in or out for 2013,” or “what’s hot, what’s not for the new year.”
We’re off and running, already more than two weeks into our bright new year, full of possibilities and optimism, right?
There are times when words fail, when there is no way to express the sorrow, emotions, confusion and yes, anger that comes with the full realization of man’s ability to destroy.
There always seems to come that moment in time, leading up to Christmas, when you know it’s not all going to get done, or at least not the way you hoped, imagined and planned it. That moment is just around the corner, I think; too many things on the list, too little time to make them all happen.
Ho Ho Ho… and here we go. It’s party time, friends. Three to four weeks, more or less, between now and New Year’s Day, with Christmas, Hanukkah, and that brand new year, all waiting to be celebrated.
It occurred to me, as I sat at our Thanksgiving table looking at the usual bowl of cranberry sauce, that cranberries are probably one of our most underestimated fruits. Most of us, I suspect, only think of cranberries during these holiday weeks, and that’s a big mistake.
Yes, I know Shakespeare is spinning in his grave, and I’ve been playing fast and loose with that quotation, but it was just too much fun to pass up after I read about the momentous decision made recently by The International Chili Society.
And what did Adam say, when asked about biting into that forbidden fruit? Why, he blamed Eve, of course. “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” (Genesis 3:12)