Tag: Life & Tradition

These Cheesy Rolls, Originally From Brazil, Are Easy to Make in Your Own Kitchen

Pão de queijo, cheese bread, are small rolls with crunchy exteriors and uniquely chewy, stretchy centers. Instead of using flour like most baked goods, they use a surprise ingredient: tapioca starch. Tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) is made from cassava root, a plant native to South America, that has been ground into a powder….


Memory and the Arts

The Greek myths are full of insightful and explanatory details that help us understand not only how to conduct ourselves in this world, but also about how things came to be and how things work. This latter point—how things work—is really important if we want to achieve anything. As we know, success and achievement can…


How to Save a Melted-Out Lawn

Q: All of a sudden, half my lawn grass died. It’s mostly on the sunny side, with some in the shade. This doesn’t look like the grass has simply gone dormant with the usual hot, dry summer weather. When I pull up on the grass, it just comes off by the handful without the roots….


Ask Me Anything: Christmas Clubs, Bank Sale, and Credit Counseling

Dear Mary: Whatever happened to bank-sponsored Christmas clubs? —Ted Dear Ted: They all but disappeared when credit cards became so popular. The new attitude was, “Why worry about it? I’ll just use my credit cards and pay for it later.” Bad idea. Good news: Christmas clubs are making a comeback (so are layaway plans). They…


Bodycam VIDEO: Deputy Overdoses After Exposure to Fentanyl; Partner Saves His Life With Narcan

Responding to their first call of the day, two San Diego sheriff’s deputies had no idea one of them was about to suffer a near-fatal drug overdose. His partner would be called upon to save his life. On July 3, Deputies David Faiivae and his field training officer Corporal Scott Crane, of the San Marcos Sheriff’s…


Racehorse Sold for Over $300,000 Left in Filthy Barn to Starve Is Rescued and Now Thrives

A thoroughbred racehorse worth over US$300,000 almost met a tragic end when she was abandoned in a stable to perish. However, in the nick of time, a charity found and rescued her and she survived, despite the huge odds stacked against her. Today, 9-year-old War Celeste is in the loving care of fosterers, living the life…


Beets Are the Main Attraction in This Tasty Salad

I picked up a bunch of jewel-toned beets at the farmers market this weekend. I’d usually roast them for a hearty salad or slice them up for a sandwich, but I got this fancy new kitchen toy and decided to spiralize them raw and make a salad with the beets as the main attraction. Spiralizers…


Man Buys Old House, Finds Hidden Attic With Treasure Trove Photos From 1800s

“Everyone hopes to find treasure someday, and we actually did,” said attorney David Whitcomb. The New York state lawyer purchased what was to be his law office in Geneva in December 2020, but never expected to find a trove of historical treasures inside a hidden attic. Whitcomb planned on setting up office space on the first…


Letting Go of Perfectionism

I’ve recently begun to recognize how self-sabotaging and hindering perfectionism can be. Perfectionism almost sounds virtuous. After all, what harm could there be in striving to reach perfection? That’s not how perfectionism plays out, however. With perfectionism, the standard of perfection can never be realized. So rather than attempting to get as close as possible,…


Once Upon a Time in a Classic Classroom

My 6-year-old granddaughter Maria is a first-grader this year. At this writing, and I pray it continues, her classes are in-person. Her kindergarten days were primarily spent in front of a computer due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. She and I recently spent a delightful time shopping. It was a “grandmother date,” and together we chose…