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Why Did We Ever Do Away With Trains?

I learned to love trains from little on. Grandma’s house was just a short way from the tracks so we heard the trains. Actually, unless we were outdoors, we really did not hear the trains. I guess we just got used to the sound so we never heard it. I do remember when they went from the old Iron Horse engines to the new streamlined ones. The sound of those was different. My mother and I would ride the Nickel Plate Railroad to Buffalo to go shopping. I was just little when we were doing this. I remember going to see Santa Claus in some of the big department stores in Buffalo and ...

Feeling The Loss Of Kobe

“Kobe is dead.” Those were the first words out of my middle son’s mouth when I answered the phone. I paused, waiting for the punchline to this really bad joke. He said it twice more. My mouth fell open. Was he serious? It felt like words had become disconnected from meanings. I put him on speaker, went downstairs calling my wife. “Marilyn, did you hear —.” She finished the awful sentence. “Kobe is dead,” she said. It had come through on a grandson’s phone. Another grandson called, and she put him on speaker. For maybe five minutes we stood around saying, “Oh, my ...

The Good Life: ‘Fear Of Bernie’ From Political Hacks

The “fear of Bernie” phenomenon by 2020 opponents of the re-election of President Trump is palpable. In my case, it is also laughable. Steven Roberts’ recent syndicated column reprinted on Jan. 17 in the Courier-Express is a prime example. Roberts claims that Sanders’ belated, lukewarm endorsement of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee in 2016 was decisive in President Trump’s narrow victories in Wisconsin, Michigan and our own state of Pennsylvania. Those Electoral College wins ensured Trump’s victory despite a deficit of some 3 million popular votes. Roberts ...

There Is No Ukraine Whodunit

It shouldn’t be news that John Bolton can attest to a White House scheme to pressure Ukraine on investigations. The existence of this campaign, now at the center of the impeachment fight, has been obvious for months. There is no mystery here, no whodunit, no dining-car reckoning from “Murder on the Orient Express” or bank-vault confrontation from “The Red-Headed League.” No more sleuthing is necessary. A quid pro quo was suggested, if not proven, by the transcript of the White House call between Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy. It was hinted ...

Canine Companion: Dogs Sometimes Fear Men

Hey, guys, today, we are just going to drive right into a topic — dogs’ fear of men. Have you ever experienced this or are you currently experiencing this issue? Even if you aren’t having this problem now, you may want to clip out this article for future reference. Your dog may be perfectly content and calm without any behavior problems around women and children, but when a man approaches you can see the shutdown begin. Some dogs may try to hide from you (the man), cower or show submissive behavior, shake, or even urinate due to anxiety. Others may show signs of aggression ...

America Is Watching

It is my habit, and my ethical obligation, to disclose a fact of my marriage when failing to do so could mislead you or diminish your trust in me. Circumstances and subject matter dictate when this is necessary. If I’m writing about our two rescue dogs, my husband’s profession is irrelevant in his utter devotion to them. Likewise, his job has nothing to do with my insistence that no husband should speak for his wife without her permission, and by “permission” I impose the strictest of boundaries. Saying, “Yes, Honey, go ahead and order the curry for me,” does not mean my ...