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Harvest Your Peppers

If you did not plant peppers this year I am sorry, but it is too late. Peppers require a very specific climate and grow best when it is warm. The farmer's markets will soon be full of juicy ripe specimens.Last year I watched for peppers. I have several recipes that take peppers and I wanted to put some into the freezer. When I freeze peppers I cut them into pieces so they are ready to add to whatever I choose. I use them in my chili as well as in other soups such as stuffed pepper soup and red pepper soup. I bag them with just the right amount for each recipe, then, double bag those ...

On Burying The Dog

For a long time, I've had three dogs - a big red mutt named Rosie, a fancy little toy poodle named Pip and a handsome Shih Tzu named Toby. Toby came to me from a rescue group in Florida. He had had a rough start in life. For some reason, the 94-year-old woman who bought him from a puppy mill mistreated him, scared him and had him kenneled at her vet in a small cage for the most part of his first year of life. He developed seizures and she asked the vet to put the dog, still a puppy, down. The dog's name was Lucky.That vet said no. And he called a rescue group who came to take over ...

Choosing The Right Software

Welcome to another edition of Let's Talk Photography! Today, I'd like to take a moment to cover software that I either know about or personally use. Let me begin with a disclaimer ... I am only offering my opinion on these software packages. I've used several and I know about many but that doesn't mean I know which one will work best for you.Software is probably the single most frustrating part of being a photographer or a photography enthusiast. I've been a member of two camera clubs locally (co-founded one and served as president for three years) and I can attest that the most common ...

Neighborhood Dogs

Thinking about the old Allen Park pony ring in my last column reminded me of my old neighborhood and of the dogs who were a part of that neighborhood. Dogs and kids ran free in those days, and many people had dogs. I'm sure many of them got into trouble, chasing cars or tipping over garbage cans, but that's not what I remember. I remember a Jack Russell named Pal who patiently let the children in the family dress him up. I remember Rowdy, who was always willing to play. I remember the small, barky dog next door, and the two Pomeranians who lived three houses away.The dog I remember best, ...

Editor’s Note

I may offend some people with what I'm about to say ... luckily, I know I probably won't be receiving any nasty emails from them.I've noticed many people still do not use email. I've fielded a few more phone calls from that demographic than I normally would have since taking over this duty, and I have to say, I just don't get it.I do, however, understand being stuck in one's ways. I never wanted a smartphone. I thought, I'm already paying for Wi-Fi in my house, I have a desktop and a laptop and a tablet and can access the Internet when I need to. I was all-in on the flip-phone for as ...

The Grandest Time

I found a book the other day at the Lakewood Library on the grand old hotels that dotted the lake in the early to late 19th century.All but two of the 19 magnificent structures featured in the book were demolished or burned, which to me is the real story. I get the sense that people in those days had no idea how highly we'd value their architecture, how we'd admire the sturdiness of their structures, how expensive it would one day be to replicate their buildings, and how our own sense of style would take horrific detours - like the blocky buildings of the 1970s.Builders and owners in ...