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Cooking up a friendly conversation on Italian cuisine

Despite my upbringing, I have become a bit of a cook in my own right. You see, my mother never really liked to cook — although she was quite good at it. As the only girl in a family of five children, she was often forced to do the cooking in her teenage years. She always sort of resented that, and it impacted her ability to enjoy her time in the kitchen. Her kitchen, itself, was another thing she disliked. When I was 5 and Dad was off work following a heart attack, he decided to remodel the kitchen. It was a project he never finished, so she was never happy with that ...

Looking for some summer fun? Play Ball!

A few weeks ago, I was humbled and honored to attend a Pittsburgh Pirates game with a great bunch of pastors and community leaders. I don’t remember the last time I have been to a game. I am sure I have been in the last three years, but it was not anytime recent. I have taken close to a hundred kids to the game from our annual children’s camp on several school buses more than once. I must admit I cannot remember anything about the game, because I was always checking on the kids. I was so tired that night I felt like I had played the game and may have needed to sleep for ...

Spending valuable time with your family

I had a rare but enjoyable visit from two of my cousins who live deep in southern Ohio this past week. My first cousin Sandy Wilkin is my late mother’s niece, and she always reminds me very much of the entire Lambert side of my family. She and her son, Adam, stopped by after attending a convention focused on American pattern glass at Oglebay Park. You see, Sandy’s dad, my late Uncle Si, was an avid antique and pottery dealer, and Sandy followed in his footsteps after her retirement as a teacher. It had probably been three years since I had seen Sandy and Adam in person — and ...

How to avoid repeating others’ mistakes

This week our daughter, Dannielle came to visit us from Maryland. We had a good visit. Dannielle and I ran together and played golf. She spent mother-daughter time with Lynnda. Bradley, our grade school neighbor, came over and we played games in the evening. Dannielle brought Arnie, her golden retriever. He is always fun. Bradley loved playing with him. Arnie loves retrieving balls and chewing up dog toys. Arnie is a master of begging for treats and food. Because of his sensitive stomach, Dannielle restricts what Arnie is allowed to eat. He gets into things so we put up a ...

Ohioans should urge lawmakers to end voucher school funding

Ohio’s education budget compromise this year includes a massive expansion of its school voucher programs, so it’s a good time to review why lawmakers should be ending these programs rather than expanding them. Under the proposed deal, taxpayer-funded vouchers will become nearly universal, with families earning up to 450 percent of the federal poverty line ($135,000 for a family of four) qualifying for full scholarships. And even the wealthiest families in Ohio, and those who already send their children to private schools, will be eligible to receive some level of scholarship. The ...

Beating the heat and staying safe in summer

It seems that the heat is on, folks. The University of Maine’s Climate Analyzer reported this week that worldwide temperatures on several recent days were the hottest on record. Not every agency agrees with that. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for instance, distanced itself from the declaration that this has been the hottest week since record-keeping began 44 years ago. I am certainly not qualified to say whether the climate analyzer, which uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure conditions, is accurate or whether its conclusions are ...