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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|

Above and Below, Then and Now

Monday, January 28, 1986. Although it was more than 37 years ago, I remember the day clearly. We were still living in the Chicago area then, and I was five months into my new career as a stay-at-home mom. It was the day after our beloved Chicago Bears won the Super Bowl, and I was still in a festive mood, with the television tuned to all the celebrations going on in Chicago. It was an historic day for another reason, [...]

By |June 26th, 2023|Columns, Making a Difference, Travel|

Saving for a Rainy Day

It’s pouring rain as I’m writing this, although the weather may be sunny and dry by the time you read it – or even by the time I finish writing. But it’s been cloudy and gloomy since early this morning, and our weather forecast says it’s going to be that way all day – not that I go by the forecast when I’m planning my day. Still, I like it when I can stay home on rainy days, and not [...]

By |June 12th, 2023|Achieving Dreams and Goals, Columns, Writing|

It’s Past Time

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of looking ahead toward tomorrow, rather than back at yesterday. But now I’m reminded of how pleasant it can be to look back, too. On Saturday, my husband and I attended the 2023 Putnam County Dairy Festival. It’s a big-deal annual event in the town where we live, although this is the first time in the six years we’ve lived here that we’ve gone. In our defense, we’ve been out of [...]

By |June 7th, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Values|