After a year-long break from making pop-up cards, I am back –- at least on Wednesdays.  That’s the day I gave to myself (with my wife’s blessing) to do my craft activities. My pop-ups go back to 2009.  I have saved and bound samples of my cards from each year. This year, as in years past, I wanted to do … Read More

I got these new Nike sneakers. They felt very comfortable. Only problem was, the laces came untied very easily. Terrible. I decided the problem was that the laces were flat. Round laces might not come undone so easily. Time to head to Target for round laces.  I happily removed my flat laces, laid one out on the bed, and measured … Read More

Do you have a hanging pen? If not, how do you locate your favorite pen each time you look for it? My favorite pens are the Pilot G-2 bold ink gel pens. The pen is clickable, which allows the point to disappear, preventing ink stains on your shirt pocket.  The bold ink says, “I am sure of what I am … Read More

There is a special, beloved place in the pull-out freezer drawer of our refrigerator for my frozen fruit. Each morning I open that drawer with anticipation and excitement. Will it be a handful of cherries? Two hands full of blueberries? A few large strawberries? Will I add them to my instant oatmeal? To my smoothie? Or both? On my trip … Read More

On the six-week anniversary of my second-degree burn, I finally saw my dermatologist. Duh — why didn’t I see him six weeks ago? My dermatologist is an expert on the skin, including burn wounds. He told me that moist wound healing (using an occlusive or semi-occlusive dressing) is best. He said Tegaderm film is fine for that purpose. I could … Read More

I want water. I want blueberries. I want apple. I decided to help my 22-month-old granddaughter learn to produce sentences. It’s something I had done throughout my career as a special education teacher. The children with whom I worked had moderate-to-severe speech and language difficulties. I taught many of them speech and language from scratch. My granddaughter’s speech is within normal … Read More

I suppose I am a lot safer today than I was yesterday. Yesterday I took down the three solar panels from my roof. The sun heated those panels and the pool water that flowed through them for almost seven years. As the panels aged, they developed leaks, which needed to be repaired. To repair the leaks, I climbed up my telescoping … Read More

For two weeks I enjoyed watching my second degree burn wound heal through the transparent Tegaderm film.  It was like a TV spectacular. At the beginning of Week Three, I noticed tan-colored wound discharge, and I saw my doctor.  He said I should take off the Tegaderm and let a scar form.  An E.R. doctor friend gave me the same … Read More

Loosen it. Tighten it. Loosen it, and tighten it.  What a hassle it was.  Although it wasn’t embarrassing to me, it certainly was to my wife. In an essay from 4½ years ago, I prophetically said: “I wish all my pants fit just tight enough so as to not require a belt at all.  That way I wouldn’t have to … Read More

Tegaderm is a remarkable waterproof bandage that really sticks. Not only that, it keeps dirt and germs out and lets air in. You can clearly monitor the wound through the bandage. Flexible and gentle on the skin, a one bandage can be worn for a week. Here is the story of how I fell in love with Tegaderm. Twelve days ago, when … Read More