Baker's heartbeat

The wrapping station was set up to handle a few dozen presents The pending arrival of a new baby has set the Christmas spirit tingling in the Baker family, and the "recent retiree" status of this blog's author has charged full gear into the season. Dubbed "Baby Rodewald" until she arrives, the grandparents are decking the halls, wrapping presents, sending out Christmas letters and more. Soon, we'll see all three daughters and their families, attend Christmas mass and note the reason for the season. Some emphasis will be on reading, Christmas books of course. In fact, giving books to children on Dec. 25 is a fine, fine way to promote childhood literacy. Amy Dickinson, the advice columnist, is a force behind "Children's Reading Connection," online at https://www.childrensreadingconnection.org/a-book-on-every-bed. Dickinson (printed in our local daily newspaper, the Quad-City Times) calls for a book to be placed on the bed of every c...

The late president, George HW Bush (photo credit: gilesallen website). It was in Clinton, Iowa, when I had my personal experience with the family of George H.W. Bush. His son, Jeb Bush, was running for president and scheduled a campaign event at Eagle View Elementary school. I was covering the 2016 event as a daily newspaper journalist; Bush was wrapping up his efforts before the Iowa Caucuses.  I had covered many such political events over the years, but this was a favorite one. It came to mind this week, after the elder Bush passed away. President Donald Trump, who won the 2016 Caucus despite strong efforts from men like Jeb Bush, has declared a time of national mourning.  The Clinton event was in the elementary school library. I got there early that Sunday afternoon and started talking to those who came to hear the candidate from the famous family. One older woman I interviewed held a large photo of the George H.W. Bush. She was a supporter of both B...

One of my favorite tasks is to reorganize book shelves. Christmas decorations will soon  be placed in the biggest spaces on these shelves. Several years ago daughter Kirstin and I had a saying: "Save the best for last!" It was one Monday afternoon when I experienced the "worst for last." I had saved our 28-year-old daughter's papers from preschool through high school, and it was time to cull the lot. A thankless task! I quieted my maternal emotions and edited two boxes of school projects down to a manageable level. It was near the culmination of a momentous job that caused a lot of strife and lack of sleep. The home project to end home projects got its start eight months ago. I retired and made myself two goals: Clean and organize the house, and keep up on my scrapbooking hobby. In the top photo, it’s heavy-duty shelf coverings for storing pans.  The photo, above, shows how I did the drawers.  It took a while to tackle the first of these go...