Columns

Cold enough for you?

I won’t hazard a guess as to whether it achieves immortality like “grassy knoll” or “hanging chads,” but surely the phrase “bomb cyclone storm” will remain in the public consciousness of those who endured its cruelties.

Staying in touch with home

About once a month I get a note from someone who lives someplace else, often far away and for a long time, who reads my column in a community newspaper they still get to stay in touch with the town they will always call home.

Christmas lights: A judgmental guide

One of my fondest childhood memories of Christmas in the 1970s was riding around in the family station wagon, “Bessie,” to look at Christmas lights while I whined to my parents about needing a snack – again.

Hope is all we have in this world

I’m filled with a renewed sense of hope all of the sudden.
Truthfully, I don’t know why I feel such hopefulness.

Will this be your best Christmas?

When writing advertising copy, I sometimes find myself desperately searching for a zinger of a tag line – and settling for trite admonitions such as “Make this the best hunting season ever” or “Make this the best summer vacation ever.”

Homeowners insurance may become unaffordable

Just when you thought the insurance crisis along the Gulf Coast, particularly in Louisiana, could not get any worse, along comes Congress to try and really muck up the problems faced by property owners who are trying to protect the value of their

Was cane syrup the best Christmas buy?

Last-minute Christmas shoppers looking for bargains are nothing new, and merchants have accommodated them for a long time.

Decking the malls with nostalgia

I read a great piece in the Tribune-Review about the nostalgia many Pittsburghers hold for their favorite old suburban shopping malls — especially around the holidays.