"I used to spin that toilet paper like I was on Wheel of Fortune. Now I turn it like I’m cracking a safe.” Several readers sent this piece of humor to us about a month ago. Unfortunately, it’s…
The coronavirus pandemic has wreaked havoc on all the events and environmental meetings scheduled for Spring 2020. Earth Day in Forest Park has gone virtual. The annual Sustainable Backyard To…
State Rep. Deb Lavender, D-Kirkwood, is among a growing chorus of state and national politicians calling for a vote-by-mail option for our democracy. She says exercising the right to vote shou…
On a hike in the age of pandemic this past weekend, an acquaintance noted how the sky has not been this blue since the week after 9/11. There is minimal air traffic, so the skies get a breathe…
I saw the “Six Degrees of Separation” play several years ago at the Repertory Theatre on the campus of Webster University. I must admit the details of that performance have not stuck with me, …
Funky Winkerbean’s cartoon creator, Tom Batiuk, is on a roll about squirrels. Hundreds of readers sent me his comic strips on squirrels. Actually, more than hundreds – enough people to fill…
It almost got by me. I almost did not remember: Feb. 7, 2008.
I like a good bumper sticker and, “Fur Crying Out Loud,” is very effective. It is a statement against cruelty to animals and the message stays with you.
In Delaware, it’s illegal to shave cats and sell their fur. In Alaska, it’s illegal to get a moose drunk. In Colorado, putting a couch in a bonfire is illegal. In Idaho, cannibalism is strictl…
“Why did you write a nasty political column during the holy season?” an offended reader asked. My answer was that even the first holy season was very political. A controversial census was unde…
Not too long after the fall of the Berlin Wall, I had the good fortune to have a bite to eat and interview William H. Webster. He is the only American to have headed both the FBI and the CIA i…
Is there a better Christmas gift than a good book? Admittedly, if you have too many unread books, there’s a bit of irony in receiving Barb Hemphill’s treatise on “Less Clutter,” or Marie Kondo…
Earlier this month, a frightening phalanx of “avowed socialists” went door-to-door in our state. They wore white coats to conceal their true colors, but you can bet their underwear was red wit…
We are fortunate to have exceptional college-preparatory schools for women in this area, including Ursuline, Nerinx, Cor Jesu, St. Joseph’s, and more.
The Popular Culture Association slotted me for a talk on “Squirrels: Icons of the Midwest” a couple of weeks ago. On the way to give my talk in Ohio, I stopped at the Ark, the full-size model …
