Another adventure

January 20, 2023

I consider books my friends. Once I open one, I think of it as another adventure. A few weeks ago, while some friends and I ate lunch we discussed our reading schedules. It seems like we all have been reading more. Several years ago, I invested in a Kindle. I had held off thinking that I liked a book in my hand when I was reading. Finally, I took the plunge and have not looked back. What I like about reading my Kindle is that new books are so easy to get. If I am in a spot where I can access the Internet I can get a new book – often for free – but if not free very ...

Fathers need ‘creative courage’

January 14, 2023

Editor’s note: This saint series will feature a saint and how they are a meaningful example for us today. Pope Francis once wrote that “the saints help all the faithful” for “their lives are concrete proof that it is possible to put the Gospel into practice.” St. Joseph provides proof of courageous fatherhood. The Gospel of Matthew shares that Joseph was a just man and that an angel revealed to him that he was to name Mary’s baby “Jesus.” We can infer that Joseph was the first human to utter the name “Jesus.” Shortly after Jesus’ birth, Matthew wrote that ...

View from Hickory Heights: The road less traveled

January 13, 2023

In a book that I was reading I came across a poem written by Robert Frost. I knew the author because I really liked the poem. The Road Not Taken By Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In ...

Happiness is a lifetime investment

January 12, 2023

Last weekend, CBS Sunday Morning’s feature about “Happiness” was not a total surprise. What could be a better subject for television’s second happiest show, second only to Sesame Street? Since its beginning over 40 years ago, I’ve happily watched this TV magazine offer features of everyone from the band U2 to chef Ina Garten, and everything from migrating monarch butterflies to Ferrari manufacturing in Italy. It’s always new knowledge, perfect for a Nosy Nellie like me, curious about everything. Last week’s lead story was Happiness, and even academia weighed in. Harvard ...

Put to pasture in the military

January 7, 2023

Here is a short story former military folks can relate to. The U.S. Navy warship USS Kitty Hawk, the last conventional-powered (fossil-fuel fired) aircraft carrier, embarked on its final voyage last year, leaving Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Wash., heading to a shipbreaking company in Brownsville, Texas. The current fleet is made up entirely of nuclear-powered carriers. The ship was to be decommissioned after 48 years of service, having been stored in mothballs for over a decade. Launched in 1960, the Kitty Hawk conducted missions in combat operations in support of Vietnam, ...

View from Hickory Heights:There’s options with leftovers

January 6, 2023

Did you have ham for Christmas? Do you have leftovers? I have several things that I do with ham that are delicious. My first husband was not a fan of leftovers so I learned to disguise them. In my mind you can never have too much ham left over. It is always good as an accompaniment to breakfast eggs. I have a bone tucked in the freezer so that I can make soup later but for now I will concentrate on another way to use those left overs. When I lived at home my grandmother used to get ham loaf from her local butcher. We all loved it. My mother used to bring ham loaf over to us from ...