Archives in Category: Small Town Life

Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

BCYF

Posted on August 17, 2019

The Berrien County Youth Fair comes to the local fairgrounds every August, and it’s unlike any other county fair we’ve ever attended.

What makes it unusual is that all the entrants must be 21 or younger, regardless of whether they’re

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Lights Off

Posted on July 6, 2019

I sit on our patio many summer evenings and enjoy the final wisps of sunset. For most of the years I’ve done this, there have been lights on in the home directly across the pond from ours.

I know this

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Collateral

Posted on June 14, 2019

Forgetting your membership card for the local health club isn’t a problem; the person at the front desk can look up your name and photo and see that it’s you.

But obtaining a key for a locker is another story.

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Snow

Posted on February 9, 2018

If you’re wondering what it takes for a patient to miss a radiation appointment, the reason has to be pretty serious. A cold? No. An invitation to meet our Mayor? No.  Free tickets to “Hamilton”? Probably not.

But

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Surgeon’s Report

Posted on November 20, 2017

Today was my first post-op visit with the physician who did my surgery last week. He is a matter-of-fact kind of guy, wastes no words, and is an authority on Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a general of the Civil

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Latest Obsession

Posted on September 6, 2016

I live in the undeclared Farm Stand Center of Michigan, maybe even of the entire Midwest.  From asparagus in late spring to pumpkins in late fall, fresh produce is only a corncob’s throw away.  And the farmer on duty understands

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Condo Living

Posted on August 26, 2016

We all know one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This is one reason garage sales proliferate. Why resale shops endure. But when you live in a condo community, this adage becomes problematic.

Usually the master condo documents lay out

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Mother’s Day, 2016

Posted on May 8, 2016

Yesterday, I whined about Donald Trump. Today I’m taking on Mother’s Day. People will soon call me a Curmudgeon First Class.

It’s not mothers or motherhood or mothering that I object to. It’s not the Hallmark® idea that offspring should

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Forever Books

Posted on April 3, 2016

My local independent bookstore, Forever Books, turned seventeen this past week. While seventeen isn’t a milestone most people think about, in the indie bookstore community it’s a lifetime. I think Amazon has had a lot to do with this.

Robin

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Mall Walking

Posted on January 31, 2016

Some friends and I are about to celebrate our second anniversary as mall walkers. I’m not sure we’re doing the cake and ice cream thing, but it is worth acknowledging.

We live where winter can be inhospitable for walking outdoors.

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