If you took yesterday’s Census quiz, maybe you’d like to know the answers. They’re at the bottom of this post. If you didn’t, it’s not to late to go back now and take it before you see the answers: Census quiz on American society Don’t feel bad if this quiz was a struggle for you. … read more America’s houses
Month: February 2016
Fun with the census
Do you live alone? Well, you’re not alone. About 28 percent of Americans live alone. That was just one of the interesting facts I learned while playing around with census numbers this week. I had so much fun, in fact, that I made a little quiz. Here it is – take it! Be sure to … read more Fun with the census
The lives we lived
The stock market has crashed and ruined families are living in shanty towns, but you’d never know it from the home movies of William Kaliska. Watch them dance the Charleston, go to a polo match, ride in a Goodyear “airship,” laugh at a garden party, throw ticker tape at a parade for champion golfer Bobby Jones. These aren’t … read more The lives we lived
Metal to the pedal
With all the winter slip-sliding on the roads, you’re bound to notice dings and scratches on your car when spring rain washes it clean. But say you can’t afford to re-paint your car. What would you do? Save your pennies? Good idea. You’d probably need less than $400 in pennies to cover your car, and then you’d … read more Metal to the pedal
Out of the mist
Buckets of water are hitting the windshield. I expect to see fish on the car’s hood. The forecast for home, where we’re headed, is freezing rain. The temperature in Chattanooga starts out around 38. Then we cross into Georgia, and the temperature drops a few degrees. As we head further east, closer to home, the temperature goes … read more Out of the mist
A weekend of tapas
It was all laid out before us: shrimp Diablo, buffalo sausage, Moroccan crepe, lobster bisque, marinated Greek white beans, winter hummus, artisanal cheese, European olives … That was just the first meal. Then there was the shrimp with grits and andouille, filet mignon on eggs Benedict, bourbon-glazed salmon, garlic-roasted potatoes, Key Lime cheesecake, chocolate truffle … read more A weekend of tapas
One cold February day
She jerked. She stuttered. She stopped. “Anna Mae! What is it?” I cried, giving her a whack. She got going again, just a little ways, then stopped again. “Damn it!” A cold day in mid-February, I’m way up the side of the mountain. I came here excited about spending the afternoon to take photos of … read more One cold February day
Miles of smiles
Today we sold Anna Mae, our jeep for more than seven years. I felt a real loss, as though I’d sold my youth. If you’ve owned a jeep, you might be sighing and a little sad, like me. Or you might be clapping your hands and saying, “Good for you – good riddance!” Jeeps are like … read more Miles of smiles
Germans, maybe
The image above comes with this caption: Typical group of Gary, Indiana school children. Top row standing : left to right, Greek, Negro, Roumanian, Lithuanian, Italian, Polish, Croatian, Hungarian. Middle row, American, Austrian, German, Bulgarian, front row, Scotch, Russian, Irish, Assyrian, Slavish, Jewish and Spanish. Do these children look American? The people in the photo above were … read more Germans, maybe
Curves and ice
I was standing at the stove cooking, and suddenly it hit me again: the ax in the head. I wasn’t having another aneurysm rupture. Just for a moment, I was re-living it. The fear that gripped me. Being alone. The pain and dizziness out of nowhere – no warning at all. One minute I was … read more Curves and ice