Yearly Archives: 2013

In our Chicago suburb during the 1960s, certain phrases reminded our family of five we shared more than the three bedroom ranch house: 1. “That’s your color, baby.” 2. “I guess the man who did it died.” 3. “Think fast.” … Continue reading →

There are many reasons why folks don’t write. Lack of talent isn’t one of them. Writing what you know, is. Following the advice to “write what you know” stalls many writers for three reasons: 1. You KNOW a lot. Oceans … Continue reading →

When I left the Chicago Tribune newspaper to become Managing Editor at an educational think-tank, I found it quizzical and lonesome that my new coworkers spoke a variation of the English language heretofore unbeknowst to me. Three words in particular … Continue reading →

  It was his granddaughter’s kitchen. She and her husband liked old things, such as the house, and they hung the hat there. It looked right, an old farmer’s hat on an old farm kitchen wall. And Grandpa didn’t need … Continue reading →

Our 1950s-built ranch house in Elmhurst, Il occupied its lot in a polite way. It stayed put in the middle of its skirt of grass, like a damsel. Unlike the three children our Mom and Dad housed there, it didn’t … Continue reading →

Neighborhood street fairs in Chicago squish into a sliver season following snow and preceding  snow, the time when our city is stunned to see street. We fist-rub our winter-nap eyes to get a gander at each other. Each other is … Continue reading →

We who attended college during the whimsically labeled “turbulent” 1960s were fond of asking questions. This both freed us from finding answers and left time for more important endeavors, such as protesting. The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First … Continue reading →

During summers in the 1960s, Dad wore his brown suit and polka-dot tie to work at Sears Roebuck & Co. during the week. He looked tidy, but I think this get-up rubbed him the wrong way when the great out-of-doors … Continue reading →

My baby boomhood coincided with the ranch-house boom. Ours, on Sunnyside avenue in Elmhurst, Il, was built on a vacant lot among older tall homes. These jutted and strutted in tudor and colonial style. The upstart ranches that snuck in … Continue reading →