December 03, 2015

The hero of the holidays: 4 ways to bring family together

December 03, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: I've flown to the desert to be with my grandsons for a few days! As I play hooky, I'd like to share with you this helpful holiday-themed guest post from author and speaker Margery Leveen Sher.

heart ornament

The hero of the holidays: 4 ways to bring family together

Ah, the holidays are upon us. What does it bring to your mind? Catching up with relatives you haven’t seen for a while? Gorging on turkey and treasured, old family recipes? Enjoying...

November 19, 2015

An evil weevil repeat

November 19, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

Dear readers: Several years ago I shared the following story as part of a paid campaign. Here I share it again (modified) simply because weevils and their evils are on my mind once more as I prepare to host Thanksgiving dinner.

indian corn
photo: stock.xchng

Many years ago I established a tradition of spreading Indian-corn kernels on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Friends and family are invited to place kernels symbolizing their personal blessings in the special "gratitude" dish at any time during the meal.

It’s a kinder, gentler, and less intrusive way of getting all around the table to give thanks without shining an invasive spotlight on folks not used to spotlights or expressing gratitude out loud, be it to friends or to family.

I could never explain the tradition to newcomers to our Thanksgiving table. Each time I'd begin the explanation, I would get...

October 31, 2015

16 spots I want to take my grandkids on Michigan's sunrise coast

October 31, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

michigan attractions for kids

I live in the mountains and my grandsons live in the desert. Which means neither they nor I have much opportunity to enjoy natural water features—lakes, rivers, and so forth—and the outdoor adventures related to them. It's so very dry here, so very dry there.

Because of our similarly parched home states, when I recently toured gems of communities on the "sunrise coast" of Michigan—primarily the Tawases and Alpena (thanks, Pure Michigan!)—I couldn't help but consider how much my landlocked grandsons would be thrilled by ocean-like Lake Huron as well as...

October 07, 2015

Fall visits the desert

October 07, 2015/ Lisa Carpenter

My daughter Megan loves living in the desert. The only time she misses the seasons of Colorado is in the fall. Fall simply isn't the same where saguaros grow tall and javelinas roam wild.

four-year-old at park

Earlier this week Megan texted some pictures to Jim and me. The weather was uncharacteristically fall-like in the desert, she said, so she took Mac and Jak—while Bubby was in school—to...