Ah, summer. It’s time to relax, unwind, and enjoy long summer days sipping lemonade without a care in the world. That ideal vision may seem elusive to many of us, but we can capture its essence more often this season if we try. Stop Hurrying Maybe you’re a parent who just completed the marathon known…
Healthy H2O: Home Water Filtration, Simplified
Mother Nature has the ultimate water filtration system. Called the hydrologic cycle, it’s powered by the sun and circulates water from the Earth’s surface to the atmosphere (evaporation), where it’s converted back into liquid via clouds (condensation), and is returned to the Earth as rain, snow, and hail (precipitation), all filtered by the sun’s UV…
Vacation by the Book: The Joys and Benefits of Popcorn Reading
People pack all sorts of things when they head off on summer vacation. Most of these are standard for traveling: clothing suited to the destination and the weather, toiletries, food and drink, the wagonload of paraphernalia required for toddlers, and other necessities. Next come the specialty items. Some vacationers carefully select special treats—chocolates, wine, cheeses….
Cool Runnings
When my younger brother and I were kids, our father would often enlist us in his work crew of one. We cleared brush in the woods around the house, raked leaves, mucked out stables in the barn, and helped him build decorative rock walls, which he constructed on every property he ever owned. Frequently, Dad…
Peppermint: First Aid for Nausea, Headache, Constipation, and More
In this series, “Herbal First Aid Kit,” we look at natural alternatives to modern first aid kits, which usually consist of medications made from synthetic chemicals. If you are looking for natural solutions for acute conditions, these herbs are safe, effective, and easily available. Mint (Mentha) is widely used for its culinary, medicinal, and aromatherapeutic properties. It…
Happy Birthday, America!
SSHHREEEEE! BOOM! AHHHH! Up they flash into the night sky, bottle rockets, brocades, Roman candles, and Catherine wheels, exploding in the darkness to the delight of spectators, a glorious fountain of fireworks celebrating Independence Day. Besides serving unofficially as Pyrotechnics Day USA, the Fourth of July is also that midsummer holiday when families and friends…
Dear Next Generation: The Nut Behind the Butt Plate
There are many great colleges and universities in America. The best one by far is the College of Hard Knocks, usually located near you during times of struggle or failure. It is called hard knocks because occasionally life isn’t easy or fair. The greatest lessons in life generally come at these times. Once in a…
Film Review: ‘No Way Back: the Reality of Gender-Affirming Care’
NR | 1h 30min | Documentary, Medical, Health | 21 June 2023 (canceled) (USA) Following in the wake of “2000 Mules,” “My Son Hunter,” and “Died Suddenly,” “No Way Back: the Reality of Gender-Affirming Care” (“No Way”) is an independently produced, low-budget movie, which those in positions of power (and by extension their minions) do not want you or anyone else…
Teach Your Child to Be a ‘90s Kid With a Summer Outside
It’s sometimes said that those who were kids in the 1990s were the last generation to have a true childhood. This is because they came of age before the digital trends of the internet, smartphones, and other tech devices went full throttle. Having spent part of my own childhood in those apparent glory years, I…
Deepen Every Relationship With This One Skill
There seems to be a deficit of social skills in our post-COVID-19 world. We may have become more adept at digital communication in the past few years, but we’re less comfortable with face-to-face interaction. Media outlets have noted the problem, with stories reminding us that “We’re All Socially Awkward Now.” But we can’t blame the…
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