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The Leader of the Banned

I was tempted to buy a t-shirt I saw advertised recently. It featured a row of books on a bookshelf, with titles that included To Kill a Mockingbird, The Color Purple, The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The caption under the books said, “I’m with the banned.” I always enjoy a good play on words. And I’ve actually read most of the books that were listed. But the main reason this t-shirt appealed to me is how [...]

By |August 8th, 2023|Columns, Values, Writing|

We are not alone!

I didn’t pay any attention to the congressional hearing on UFOs, but I learned about it from watching the news. I also learned that UFOs aren’t called that anymore. Unidentified Flying Objects are now known as UAPs: Unidentified Aerial (or Anomalous) Phenomena. Still… I’m one of those who has always believed in the existence of life on other planets. The way I see it, it would be a waste of this vast universe if our planet was the only inhabited [...]

By |August 1st, 2023|Columns|

Road Trip Rituals

My husband and I have a ritual we follow whenever we set out on a road trip. As we’re pulling out of the driveway – or hotel parking lot – he calls out, “Wagons…” and I respond, “Ho!” We note the time, and for the rest of the day we have a friendly competition as we each try to be the first to announce, “We’ve been on the road an hour.” Or three. Or nine. After the first few hours, [...]

By |July 24th, 2023|Columns, Family, Travel|

Weather or Not

We were just south of Chattanooga when we stopped at a rest stop for a quick break. We had been watching dark clouds forming around us, and saw several thick, jagged lightning bolts in the distance. It started to drizzle just as we were walking into the rest stop, and in a few minutes the drizzle had grown to a torrential downpour, with wind to match. The staff at the rest stop locked the door, and herded us all to [...]

By |July 17th, 2023|Columns, Family, Holidays, Travel|

A Sweet Time

Instead of writing a blog post this week, I’m spending time with our kids and grandkids. Our agenda includes, among other things, celebrating the 3-year-old’s birthday, and making dinosaur-shaped chocolate chip brownies with him, his big sister, and his little brother. What could possibly be more fun or important than this? I’ll see you next week. July 7, 2023 ©Betty Liedtke, 2023 I welcome your comments, but please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing [...]

By |July 7th, 2023|Columns, Family, Values|

An Exercise in Freedom

Every so often, I look back through my past columns and blog posts—for inspiration, and to keep from repeating myself, especially on holidays. But some of them bear repeating, particularly when something I wrote long ago is as relevant today as when I first wrote it—and sometimes even more so. Below is a column I wrote on July 1, 2004. I hope you find it worth reading now, almost 20 years later. And I hope you have a safe and [...]

By |July 1st, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Quotes and Sayings|