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Teachers’ focus remains on history, not ‘indoctrination’

Just about every adult in America who attended a public school has passed through a history class, and maybe they had an aptitude for the subject, had a teacher who inspired them to dig deeper, or were turned off completely by a clock-punching instructor who offered little more than a dry recitation of dates and names. Over the last couple of years, history classes in middle schools and high schools have become yet another battlefield in America’s ongoing culture wars. Some parents and activists have argued that they are hotbeds of indoctrination that drive students to loathe their ...

View from Hickory Heights: Television is older than you think

Are you old enough to remember when television channels signed off for the night? I recall them playing the national anthem, then shutting down. There was no television to watch during the night. The next morning the process worked in reverse. They played the national anthem, then were up and running. I was surprised when I looked into the history of television. Men were pioneering devices for transmission of television pictures as early as the 1920s. Frank Lloyd Wright described television as “chewing gum for the eyes”. Television was introduced in England in the early 1930s. An ...

Rounding Third: A concert grand piano produces grand concerts

I had a love affair with a piano. A great big piano. For 11 fascinating years, I was the executive director of the award-winning, historic Struthers Library Theatre here in Warren. One of my best takeaways is how much I learned on that terrific job. And I got to know our piano – a splendid Steinway Concert Grand piano. Steinway has always been the gold standard for American pianos, and many are used around the world. Now a concert grand isn’t your everyday grand piano. A standard grand piano is about six feet long, give or take a few inches. The theater’s concert grand is ...

Savoring cheese month

I recently discovered that October is National Cheese Month. I must admit I do like cheese. There are so many kinds of cheese that it is impossible to list them all. In my refrigerator now I have mozzarella, pepper jack cheese, American cheese, sharp cheese, and dill Havarti. I use them all differently. When I make grilled cheese, I like American cheese with a couple small slices of pepper jack. I put a little mustard on the bread as well. When I make macaroni and cheese, I like to mix my cheeses to get the best flavor. There are cheeses made from cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and ...

Rounding Third: There’s a high price for procrastinating

A month ago, I spent a morning planning finances for 2025. Social Security hasn’t told us if we’re getting a raise, and I was already creating my spending plan for the new year? I was definitely looking for an area to save some bucks. The expenditures were chugging along as anticipated, until I got to the category “Storage Unit.” I looked at that figure - $175 quarterly – and decided NYET! NO MORE! I was paying $700 a year to avoid tackling the last of my mother’s stored items? Mom died eight years ago. Somehow, I have racked up $5600 in storage fees. How is that ...

View from Hickory Heights: Time for apples

I love the fall. Apples are my favorite fruit. Usually, I pick one out of the basket and eat it before I leave the orchard. The orchard I go to has samples to eat so you can pick out the type you want. One thing that I really appreciate about apples is their versatility. You can use them in so many ways. I have all sorts of recipes. They range from the very easy to the more difficult ones. Apple pie was a favorite of Don – that is after mincemeat. With Don’s birthday coming up I recall the mincemeat pies we received from his daughter Melanie who lives in Alaska. The first one she ...