Columns – Page 5 – FindYourBuriedTreasure

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 important the issue of book-banning [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 8th, 2023|Columns, Values, Writing|Comments Off

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 one. The issue of whether [...]

By bettyliedtke|August 1st, 2023|Columns|Comments Off

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, it’s easy to lose track. [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 24th, 2023|Columns, Family, Travel|Comments Off

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 a sheltered hallway, then pulled [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 17th, 2023|Columns, Family, Holidays, Travel|Comments Off

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 on this blog. This is [...]

By bettyliedtke|July 7th, 2023|Columns, Family, Values|Comments Off

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 happy 4th of July weekend. [...]

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

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, too, although not the way [...]

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

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 just because it keeps me [...]

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

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 town during some of the [...]

By bettyliedtke|June 7th, 2023|Columns, Holidays, Values|Comments Off

A Non-Trivial Pursuit

A new bar & grill opened up near us recently, and they hold trivia contests on Wednesday nights. Along with a few friends from our neighborhood, we’ve gone a few times, and even won first place once. We went last week, and although they don’t officially have themes for the games, a number of the questions had to do with Memorial Day. I learned a few things about Memorial Day that I didn’t know, and was reminded about some that I’d forgotten. In honor of [...]

By bettyliedtke|May 28th, 2023|Columns, Holidays|4 Comments

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