2012-05-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We recently returned from a trip to Florida, where a grandson was celebrating his Confirmation. Our route was familiar, for the most part. We've made this trip many times and we're familiar with differences between the "Rebel" and "Yankee" states. We expect gas prices to be lower in Georg......
2012-05-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Bombarded by television ads urging us to buy this car or that one, Old Dad and I begin to wonder if maybe it is time to trade in my vehicle for one of the newer, equipped-with-everything cars that zip smoothly across the TV screen. We start paying closer attention to the commercials. Whic......
2012-05-06 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
At area thrift shops in recent week, it seems donations have been the result of people's efforts at spring cleaning. Bundles of used clothing and household goods are coming in, much of it — while in good condition — clearly outdated. Couples often come in together when th......
2012-04-29 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
So many of us spend so much time in the kitchen. We chop, we dice, we slice. We pull out our recipe books seeking new ideas for tonight's dinner, attempting to bring variety to the table. And our recipes instruct us to mix this, stir that, blend something else, fold in a new ingredient. M......
2012-04-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Other pages in this newspaper today will alert us to the importance of April 22: It is Earth Day, an international celebration of our home planet, Earth. The holiday was initiated in 1970 by Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson after he witnessed a massive oil spill in California. Nelson believe......
2012-04-15 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Now that Easter is past, most of us are truly into outdoor activities. We're providing tender, loving care to our spring flowers and trying to decide if we'll sow green peppers this year and where to place the tomato plants. It's also the time of year when folks are thinking about road tr......
2012-04-08 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
So far this year, it appears Mother Nature has been playing tricks on us. Kids looking forward to school "snow days" in January and February were disappointed. We who were prepared to spend time scraping ice from our windshields were relieved. Those of us who ordinarily spend the win......
2012-04-01 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Browsing the Internet recently, I was reading about dietary habits that promote a healthy lifestyle. Then, caught up in a desire to avoid excess fat and calories, I decided to never again eat ice cream. From that website, I flipped onto another that provided information on spring events a......
2012-03-25 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
If you've finished your breakfast before you've reached this space, it may be too late for you to celebrate the day. Today has been declared (by someone, somewhere) to be both "Waffle Day" and "Pecan Day." Which, had we realized it early enough, would have been the perfect reason to substitute......
2012-03-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's not often that there's a new movie I'm eager to see, but recently one debuted that beckoned. An instant success, the film hit first place in admissions the week it opened. Still, I hesitated to go because it seemed I should be accompanied by a small child,- and the smallest grandkids......
2012-03-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
For a few weeks, we were visiting our Florida-resident daughter and her family, as well as two other grandchildren whose homes are in the Sunshine State. We enjoyed sunshine and temperatures that, in the midst of winter, warmed our souls. It's a trip we look forward to every year — ......
2012-03-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Flipping the remote from channel to channel, I was disappointed to see only one commercial after another. And it was discouraging to note that the ads were, for the most part, more annoying than informative, more pesky than entertaining. Among the worst are those created for automobile de......
2012-02-26 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not long ago, Old Dad and I were driving around unfamiliar territory when we were reminded of how pervasive Murphy's Law is. (That's the premise that if there's a possibility that anything can go wrong, it will.) Far from home, we needed a rest stop. And wouldn't you know, on ......
2012-02-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Why not learn to enjoy the little things? There are so many of them.
—AnonymousIt was in one of the "Chicken Soup" books that I read that remark, and it prompted a litany of "little things" that bring joy — often when we least expect it....
2012-02-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
After a timid start, Old Man Winter finally showed up last month, delivering several inches of snow. Whenever that happens, my initial reaction is negative. Grumbling about the work involved in getting the car out of its white captivity, I plan my course of action. Breakfast first (no sho......
2012-02-05 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It starts as one of those "Boy, we have to clean out this closet" moments when you pull down a favorite sweatshirt from a high shelf and two more shirts fall on your head in the process. You think, "Yep, we have to clean this out. It won't take long." If only ... Here's what r......
2012-01-29 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One frequent, everyday challenge I hear about is what to make for dinner. Folks say it seems we are too often cooking the same things. Our menus rotate around a few familiar dishes and, while we are comfortable with them, we are bored with them. So we compare recipes and occasionally......
2012-01-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Get ready, America! Not only are we on our way to Super Bowl XLVI, but a million-dollar day is fast approaching for one lucky soul who bothered to enter the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. That's a lot of excitement to wrap up in just 14 days. Millions of people hope to become inst......
2012-01-15 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
The holiday season a memory, last weekend Old Dad and I prepared to "unChristmas" the house. In years past, this was a chore I dreaded because that chore would require in multilayers of warm clothing to protect us from the onslaught of freezing temperatures and biting wind. This year &hel......
2012-01-08 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Well, Christmas trees are recycled or removed to the attic. The eggnog is depleted, and the cookie jars are empty — the snickerdoodles having taken up residence on our thighs. We are looking, now, at weeks of cold temperatures, icy roads and maybe snowstorms. Those who ski are pleas......
2011-12-31 19:00:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
And so a new year begins, a new chance to make improvements, to do better, to refresh, renew, uplift. Year after year we face this and wonder which of our faults or weaknesses we will address — and how we will do that. Is it going to be that 10 pounds we were going to lose last year......
2011-12-24 16:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With the speed of light, this past week flew by. Five days of writing reminders to ourselves in the attempt to leave no pre-holiday chore undone, one last, hectic day of checking those lists — and suddenly, here it is, Dec. 25. Today, in homes where children still live, ......
2011-12-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With only seven days to go, many of us are consumed by Christmas, thinking about another batch of cookies to bake, tree lights to adjust, a last-minute greeting to send and finally, the crèche to set up. When we were children, we didn't set up "crèches," we displayed "Nativi......
2011-12-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Busy with all the preparations for the Christmas holiday — holy day — we are reminded by the glut of calendars in the stores and in our mail boxes that we are about to enter a new year. Already. Again. Didn't we just do that a few eye blinks ago? For that matter, wasn't it onl......
2011-12-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Among most families I know, a standard joke — or complaint — is the frequency with which someone (usually dad) clicks the TV remote, flipping channels at the speed of light, skipping from program to program faster than political candidates change positions. Until recently I ha......
2011-11-27 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Black Friday is history, and those brave enough to venture out that day are (I hope) happy with their bargain-shopping experience. Old Dad and I rarely go out on the day after Thanksgiving, preferring to hibernate until the craziness passes. We did some shopping before the holiday, so we ......
2011-11-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Unbelievable. The turkey intended for Thanksgiving is still in the freezer, and already we are assaulted by never-ending happy-holiday music that reaches us from several fronts. We are being jingle-belled to death by media outlets of many varieties. Even television commercials contribute ......
2011-11-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
This is not meant to frighten anyone, but just six weeks from today is Dec. 25. That leaves only 41 days left to prepare. And here's the thing: preparation for Christmas is complicated, time-consuming and expensive. We shop, we bake, we wrap, we decorate. We hurry, we worry, we stress....
2011-10-30 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
All's quiet in our neighborhoods today; they are neighborhoods in waiting. Jolly-faced pumpkins sit happily on front porches, ghosts fashioned from old sheets hang from a few trees, some doors are decked with wreaths composed of colorful autumn leaves or cardboard witches. All this, in an......
2011-10-23 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Seeking to keep our bodies in optimal condition, many of us look to library shelves, checking out tomes on health and fitness, seeking ways to slow down the inevitable aging process. One of those books, a manual on fitness and well-being, takes up space in my house. Browsing through it on......
2011-10-16 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
"Well," says my friend, "my doctor said my difficulty sleeping is due to nerves. And what do you do about that?" It's a question many of us have asked when our aches, pains and annoyances are attributed to "nerves." And it's one for which we find answers in abundance. It's a rare magazine......
2011-10-09 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Once October arrives, we anticipate many special days ahead, and I find it interesting to note the mindset by which we observe them. Monday we mark Columbus Day, honoring the explorer who didn't actually discover America, but he got pretty close, so why not close the banks — and go ......
2011-10-02 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Ah, October: a crispness in the air, changing leaves, the anticipation of coming holidays and the excitement of … sports! Currently, we're watching Major League Baseball finish the 2011 season via division and league playoffs, leading to the World Series. All of us have their favor......
2011-09-25 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's officially fall now, so I suppose we can — officially — begin fall cleaning. It's a daunting task, if approached with a negative mindset. But there is help all around. Newsstands are cluttered with a collection of magazines offering ideas on how to achieve the sparkl......
2011-09-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Old Dad and I had a lunch date one day last week with friends, a date we mark every year. We didn't meet in a gourmet-type restaurant, just an ordinary Lancaster County eatery offering comfort food at a comfortable price. It was not a dress-up occasion, just casual pants, shirts and sanda......
2011-09-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Some interesting things arrive in our Internet mailboxes that have nothing to do with friendly correspondence. One day, we get a notice from an area department store that we will be able — for one day only — to purchase goods at a 15 percent discount. There's an offer to bring......
2011-09-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Ah, nature: The sunshine yellow of dandelions. The whisper of a breeze in a canopy of maple leaves. The song of a robin. The glimmer on the lake at Middle Creek. Ripples in the water at Muddy Run. To be outdoors on a beautiful late-summer day is a pleasure no TV screen or computer monitor......
2011-08-28 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There was a time, as a teenager, when I pulled a crumpled wad of paper from a jeans pocket and realized it was a long-forgotten $10 bill. A happy surprise, especially when at that time $1 would buy lunch. Years later, my husband had the same experience — a wrinkled piece of paper that tu......
2011-08-21 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With our children, nieces and nephews grown and our youngest grandchild now 9 years old, Old Dad and I have missed the presence of babies in our lives. But this month has been eventful: two baby showers in two weeks. Two excited mothers-to-be, four happy expectant grandmas, scores of frie......
2011-08-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Computer users know there is endless information available on their PCs. When you want to a weather report for Buffalo Gap, S.D., or Soddy-Daisy, Tenn., you can find it. If you fell asleep while your team played a late-night game, the scores are only a click away when you wake up....
2011-08-07 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Along with many of my friends, I am a coupon clipper. Every Sunday, I gather up the circulars that come with this newspaper and look for items that appear on my shopping list — and start clipping. If I can save a dollar on yogurt and 50 cents on a box of cereal, it's a good day. And......
2011-07-31 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Is it my imagination, or has the whole country become fat-conscious? Media on every level are chronicling the demise of America's health, proclaiming our medical issues are almost exclusively related to, um, adiposity. Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, respiratory difficulties, maybe eve......
2011-07-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There is, after today, another full week in July — and the whole month of August stretches before us after that. It is still summertime, and we have many days yet to enjoy the sun, to cool off in the pool, to dip our feet into the ocean. And yet … Weeks ago, newspaper and TV ......
2011-07-17 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Old Dad and I just returned from a trip to Ohio, where we spent a few days with our youngest daughter and her family. They pulled up roots and left their lifelong stomping grounds so son-in-law could continue his career with an Ohio-based company, settling in a small town not far from the Penn......
2011-07-10 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There is a line of trees that separates our development of townhouses from its neighbor to the west and north. It's a dividing line of sorts, marking the difference between semiurban and true country living. The land adjoining ours boasts acres of green fields. In early summer, one area p......
2011-07-03 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Two hundred and thirty-five years sounds like a long time, but it's no more than a blink of the eye in the history of planet Earth. From prehistoric times until 1776, humans (or their early progenitors) saw many things change — but slowly. It took mankind thousands of years to progr......
2011-06-26 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Baseball games, basketball games, band concerts, art shows … Old Dad and I number these things among our pastimes. No, we aren't sluggers, and we don't shoot hoops (any more), but our grandkids do. Watching them as they compete and perform is one of our favorite activities. So......
2011-06-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
All week long, the mailbox and newspapers have been reminding us that today would be dedicated to Dad. Department store fliers and in-paper ads have made sure we did not forget our paternal parents. Ideas for gifts cover a wide range: personalized pub glasses, sneakers embroidered with Da......
2011-06-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
After a string of 90-degree days, Mother Nature smiled on those participating in the annual Red Rose Run on June 4 in Lancaster — and on those of us pounding our feet in the shorter Northeast School District Dollars For Scholars event in York County. The weather was sunny and warm, not s......
2011-06-05 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
This time of year, hardly a week goes by when there isn't an organized race scheduled somewhere in the county. Almost every weekend, one can participate in a contest challenging his or her running ability. And — in some cases — his or her, um, good sense. A few months ago......
2011-05-29 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
This not-so-merry month of May has been one to remember. Residents along the Mississippi River have lost untold amounts of property due to the mighty river's flooding. And while we have been spared the extremes that the Midwest has suffered, this area has had more than its share of precipitati......
2011-05-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Standing in the checkout line at the supermarket, I entertain myself by reading magazine covers. Because I'm not much interested in the Brad-and-Angie saga or Bristol Palin's latest career change, my eyes drift to other topics emblazoned on the periodicals' fronts. And it seems there......
2011-05-15 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Since the advent of really beautiful spring weather, I've been attacked by spring fever. No, not the kind that would have me on my knees scrubbing floors. Not even the kind that compels me to take down the blinds and make the window glass disappear. My recently acquired fever is a co......
2011-05-08 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Browsing through the magazine section of last Sunday's paper, I read that NPR recently revealed some restaurants have arranged for diners to order their meals via text message. Text message? Will we now be deprived of any human contact, seating ourselves and whipping out the cellphon......
2011-05-01 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It was an unusual day — no appointments, no commitments, nothing scheduled. So there was plenty of time to throw myself elbow-deep into the kitchen and be creative. But, no. By my declaration, this would be a lazy day: no big jobs, time-consuming projects, or energy-required chores.......
2011-04-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Though it's later this year than in some years, Easter has managed to sneak up on me anyway. Perhaps because my internal fancy of the holiday continues to be the childlike vision of spring: tulips bobbing in a soft breeze and egg hunts conducted in warm sunlight. But for most of the ......
2011-04-17 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Last Sunday's paper included a flier, a Spring Vacation Planner, from the Commonwealth of Virginia, urging us to visit. As expected, right on the front page was the slogan "Virginia Is For Lovers." (It occurred to me that we'd been hearing that slogan for years. I wonder, if V......
2011-04-10 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In the spring, they say, a young man's fancy turns to "thoughts of love." My observations find the fancies of those in middle or old age are very different. Most of us are thinking about carting home a few bags of mulch and weed killer. Or we're planning where to plant the impatiens ......
2011-04-03 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Listening to a country-music radio station the other day, I heard vocalist Chris Young singing how he "hears voices all the time." What he hears, it was clear, is from his past — and it occurred to me that most of us identify similar voices as we travel through our lives. Our p......
2011-03-27 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Spring is just a week old, and its signs are unmistakable. Tulip blades are popping up through the soil, trees are sporting tiny buds, the grass on the hill behind the house is greening. Our mailboxes are filled with literature from garden shops and home improvement meccas, offering ......
2011-03-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Three of our grandchildren were here today — ages 11, 10 and 8. They ate lunch together, played games in the basement playroom and climbed the hill outside the back door. And then they "played together -— separately." At least that's how it seemed to us as we watched them chat......
2011-03-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We're home after weeks of 80-degree temperatures in Florida, and Old Dad and I are back in sweatshirts and woolly socks to deal with current below-freezing lows and low-50 highs. Spring may be just around the corner, but that corner is still a block or two away. Still, we are happy t......
2011-03-06 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Still enjoying our time in Florida, Old Dad and I are reading e-mails and text messages from family and friends up north. While they are happy we are vacationing, many have asked us why we continue to go to the same place when there are other areas that offer sunshine and warmth. This is ......
2011-02-27 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
The brochures and advertisements came to our mailbox by the dozens: "Angler reels in 37-inch redfish in Mosquito Lagoon," and "Florida fishermen happy with catches at Sebastian Inlet." There was "Snook abundant in Florida waters" and "Fish running in Indian River." So, what wi......
2011-02-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Weeks of frigid temperatures. Long days of white-covered ground. Months of listening to the furnace rumble and, at times, snow sliding off the rooftop ... Today, sitting in my favorite chair, wearing plush-lined slippers and a fleece afghan around my shoulders, I am grumbling about winter......
2011-02-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We've been bombarded for weeks by newspaper and TV ads featuring red hearts and pink bows. So we should, by now, have purchased any Valentine cards and gifts we wish to send. Monday is it, Valentine's Day. Still, I expect supermarket fresh-flower areas or drugstore chains' candy depa......
2011-02-06 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There's a note on my February calendar indicating this is Boy Scout Sunday. It's an unfortunate date for the Scouts, I suspect, because today so many millions of Americans will pay little attention to anything other than another "boy's" activity: football. With today's Super Bowl con......
2011-01-30 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Like many others, my husband and I have been warmed often by random acts of kindness — small favors and good wishes that warm our hearts. In a world in which public anger and insults are all too common, I find comfort in focusing on those moments rather than on negative things....
2011-01-23 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Conversation overheard in the corridors of our workplaces, churches and meeting halls revolves, these days, around the weather — specifically, frigid temperatures, the presence (or expectation) of snow and the expense of removing the white stuff. "Are you keeping warm?" we ask, and ......
2011-01-16 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
By now, for most of us, the last evidence of Christmas has disappeared. Ornaments have been returned to their attic storage and the few lingering live trees are waiting to be mulched. We might think that the weeks ahead will be nothing but cold, gray, wintry weather. Boredom. Restlessness......
2011-01-09 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's fun for adults to imagine what careers or trades their children will choose as they mature. Will they be doctors? Lawyers? Teachers? Tradesmen? Sometimes our kids give us clues when they are young — ideas about the things they like to do, the subjects that hold their interest. ......
2011-01-02 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's January 2nd. Already. Really. Before we'd opened the last Christmas present, we were watching reviews of every significant event that took place during 2010 and analyzing the effect each would have on our futures. We'd hardly finished off the Santa-shaped cookies before we were proje......
2010-12-26 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Breathe deeply. Sigh. Relax. Remember. After weeks — no, months — of preparation, Christmas 2010 has come and gone in the blinking of an eye. So, now what? Now, Old Dad and I sit in the quiet, surrounded by open boxes, discarded bows and years-old holiday decorations and ......
2010-12-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One of our girls sent us an e-mail a few days ago: "Only one more gift to buy, and everything is wrapped!" She was, she said, ready to sit and enjoy some hot chocolate and listen to the quiet. And I'm happy to say, that's where Old Dad and I are: well-prepared and ready for quiet. Still, I am ......
2010-12-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Less than two weeks to go now, fewer than 14 days to finish all the "necessary" things that must be done for Christmas to be successful. We will bake. Shop. Clean. Wrap. Mail packages and cards. We won't rest until the holiday lights are placed just so on the bushes by the front steps, treasur......
2010-12-05 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In an effort to lower expenses, Old Dad and I often visit grocery outlets to stock up on staples and canned goods at well-below-ordinary prices. We spend more time on these shopping jaunts because we make sure to check the "sell-by" date on every item. Many products in the outlets bear expired......
2010-11-28 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
A recent experience — trying to figure out how to use an iPod — left me grumbling about our current fixation with technology. Sure, the kids know how to use this stuff, but some of us mature citizens are more comfortable with old things. When I want to hear music, what I'd like to hav......
2010-11-21 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
For years, we've had friends urging us to take a cruise ship vacation. And for years, we've never gone past the stage of just thinking about it. "You'll love it," they say. "There is something to do every minute — or you can do nothing, if that's your choice." And the food…. ......
2010-11-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We were still wondering what to do with the last of the leftover Halloween treats when last Sunday's newspaper arrived. Still thinking in terms of "autumn" and "pumpkins," it was a surprise to see the plethora of advertisements featuring fake snow, Santa figures and glitter-trimmed evergreen t......
2010-11-07 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
A question came up in a novel I've been reading that diverted my attention from the subjects' search for a villain: One character asked another, "Who goes for walks anymore?" He meant leisurely walks with no destination in mind, just casual strolls through a park or woods. "We are ......
2010-10-31 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Aware that this day may be fraught with spooks and goblins, we check the roads for smashed pumpkins and watch for trees adorned with bathroom tissue. And we say goodbye to October, knowing that the best of autumn color may be over. With that in mind, last week Old Dad and I drove through ......
2010-10-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not long ago, Old Dad and I took a trip, via motor coach, to the Great Smoky Mountain area in Tennessee. We traveled with four friends — and a coach-full of friends we hadn't met yet — to enjoy a variety of shows at Pigeon Forge and to view the beauty of the mountains. We had such ......
2010-10-17 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In my husband's workshop is a motley collection of plumbing tools, electrical supplies, carpenter equipment, craft items, various paints and leftover bits and pieces from past projects. Old Dad is a committed saver who holds dear every item in the shop, no matter how old, worn or outdated......
2010-10-10 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Diminishing daylight and that refreshing crispness in the air show us that fall is really upon us — and with it, the advent of autumn holidays like Halloween, Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. And Sweetest Day. Sweetest … as in delivering candy to bring others cheer. The ev......
2010-10-03 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
I was stopped at an intersection this morning and a sedan driving cross-traffic made a left turn onto my street. Although the road was comfortably wide, the car passed by my front fender so closely that I feared I'd lost some paint on that side. The driver, not really looking in my direction, ......
2010-09-26 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Every day, our e-mail inbox brings opportunities for bargain-priced travel and, intrigued by the idea of a low-cost vacation, I click on the catch phrases: "Fall Foliage," "City Vacations," or "Europe for $350." But so far, Old Dad and I haven't packed any bags. The "teasers," as I see those a......
2010-09-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Every now and then you'll hear it, or say it: "I've always wanted (fill in the blank)." Not long ago, I voiced one of those wishes — and then laughed at myself. Because, in fact, there are many things I've "always" wanted and never received, yet am none the worse for doing without them....
2010-09-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
September is always a big, busy month in our family. Four grandsons mark birthdays during these 30 days and a daughter and her husband — as well as Old Dad and I — celebrate an anniversary. As an aside, today has been labeled "Grandparents Day." (The latter, I think, must have been......
2010-09-05 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Listen. Can you hear it? No? Maybe because it's gone again, for a while: the sound of children, that is. The laughter or the squabbling as they play in the backyard, the sound of skateboards flying by on the sidewalks, the thumping of a basketball against the side of the garage. Thro......
2010-08-29 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
By chance, the other day I clicked onto a House Beautiful Magazine website offering "things your house guests won't tell you." What I found was information about situations that overnight visitors find frustrating or uncomfortable. Following that info were suggestions about ways to render beautif......
2010-08-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's one of those days when an old song gets stuck in your head and won't leave. Over and over, I hear the words, "(B)rown paper packages tied up with strings… these are a few of my favorite things." Yes, the sounds of "The Sound of Music" are upon me and not only do I happily hum the......
2010-08-15 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not so long ago, Pennsylvanians were arguing about whether gambling within the state should be expanded by adding table games to the casinos in the Commonwealth. Those against gambling of any kind were opposed; others looked forward to a little risky fun and, maybe, a few extra dollars falling in......
2010-08-08 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
A family friend recently checked off an item on her "bucket list" — to be photographed side by side with the Philly Phanatic. One July evening, her wish came true and she's still smiling about it. Her happy moment prompted thoughts of compiling my own "bucket list,&q......
2010-08-01 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Most summers, at least in my memory, brought in August what we called the "dog days," those hot, hazy and humid days that stir a longing for autumn and its cooling presence. This summer we've been living the "dog days" for weeks, and with at least another month to go, we may be losing patience wi......
2010-07-25 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One of my favorite stories is that of Johnny Appleseed, who traveled west from Pennsylvania into what was, during the 18th century, the frontier area: Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Johnny, actually John Chapman, was an itinerant missionary and nurseryman who planted apple trees throughout the Midwe......
2010-07-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Wasn't it just a little while ago that we walked around the house wrapped in afghans, wearing fuzzy slippers and grumbling about frigid winter temperatures? Wasn't it recently we groaned at the thought of even one more shovel full of snow? And only four months ago, we chanted, "Hurry up, summer!"......
2010-07-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Of all the things we get to celebrate throughout the year, this month marks one of the best: July is National Picnic Month. We may have started dining outdoors on Memorial Day, but this month we're encouraged to do more than flip burgers in the backyard. "Picnic" isn't limited to the patio; ......
2010-07-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Browsing through a collection of essays in a book by professor of literature Regina Barreca, I was drawn by the first composition where the author reminisces about her relatives — in particular, her Italian-American aunts, whom, she says, taught her to dance. Barreca recalls with humor the ......
2010-06-27 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There's been talk on TV news shows recently about a new drug that's been developed by a German pharmaceutical firm. The company had applied for FDA approval in order to sell the drug here in the USA, but approval was denied — at least for now. The situation brought to mi......
2010-06-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It was more than a century ago that Sonora Smart Dodd, a resident of Spokane, Washington, listened to a sermon on Mother's Day and decided there should be a day to honor fathers as well. Dodd was especially appreciative of her own father who had been left a single parent when his wife died in giv......
2010-06-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Spring, officially, is winding down and summer, officially, will be here in just eight more days. Most area school bells have been silenced, graduations are over and spring sports schedules are, for better or worse, now only memories. Parents who, since last September, have been bonde......
2010-06-06 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One recent rainy day, I watched as my neighbor followed after his leashed mini-dog, keeping the small bundle of fur from trampling others' lawns and carrying the required plastic bag for capturing doggie poop. That dog, as several I know, is well-loved and treated with care and concern. He eats w......
2010-05-30 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
The current issue of Newsweek has an article on "saving yourself" that proposes doctors and patients should focus more on preventing disease than on treating it. It was scripted by Jonathan Finkelstein, pediatrician and professor of medicine, who supports health-related policies such as including......
2010-05-23 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There's a tune in the air these days, one that's familiar to most of us. It's a tune that stirs memories and kindles lumps in the throat. Who cannot at least tremble a little at the princely sound of "Pomp and Circumstance?" This month, high school graduation speakers l......
2010-05-16 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Aboard the USS Intrepid one recent afternoon, a temporary auditorium was set up on the ship's fantail. For the people seated there, the view ahead was the Hudson River; behind, a display of war planes marking 70 years of aviation history, and the towering skyscrapers that make up New York City....
2010-05-09 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's been a busy week, fielding text messages from my cell phone server urging me to buy wireless minutes for Mom, pop-up ads on the computer screen suggesting flowers for Mother, flyers in the mailbox offering special menus meant to appeal to Mom. And in fact, it's said that more flowers ar......
2010-05-02 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There are kids these days who board big yellow buses and, together, ride every morning and afternoon from their homes to their schools. And they don't talk to each other. It's not that they don't communicate; they do. But they "converse" via text, not talk. Watch 'em some time. From mid......
2010-04-25 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With April winding down, people are spending more time outdoors enjoying fresh air, sunshine and more gentle breezes than those of early spring. Lancaster County residents know, however, that not all spring breezes spread perfume through the neighborhood. Regardless of new developments that ......
2010-04-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In our family, spring brings with it a host of reasons to celebrate: multiple birthdays, anniversaries and, this year, several graduations. So to mark these special occasions, Old Dad and I have been trying to come up with clever gift ideas. "Clever" ideas seem harder to come by these days f......
2010-04-11 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
The postal service is gearing up for the rush on Thursday night as procrastinating citizens are cramming to get their 1040 forms ready for mailing. Yep, it's that time again: Income tax returns are due. Taxpayers make use of many different ways to analyze their tax situation and determine wh......
2010-04-04 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Finding a package at the front door is usually fun. Who knows what treasures the USPS, UPS or FedEx might have left for us to enjoy? So a few days ago, Old Dad and I were pleased to carry into the house a large cardboard carton addressed to him. When we noted the sender, however, we were rem......
2010-03-28 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Walking at a lively pace, I was concentrating on maintaining my speed when my attention was diverted by visions of torrential rain and trees bending low by the force of powerful wind. The fierce weather surprised me; it was time to be thinking sunshine and daffodils. No, I was not hiking in ......
2010-03-21 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Sighing in relief that, as of yesterday, it is officially spring, Old Dad and I reflect on the winter just past when we chose to run away from the cold for a while and spend time with the Florida grandkids who were playing baseball and running track — even in February. Ordinarily I lov......
2010-03-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In our comfortable, well-equipped vacation apartment, an ironing board leaned against the closet wall and an iron sat upright on the shelf. In my hand I held a cotton shirt that was badly wrinkled and the logical thing for me to do was to set up the board, plug in the iron and rescue the shirt fr......
2010-03-07 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Taking a break from the daily cooking chores, Old Dad and I are having dinner at a restaurant nearby. It is a spot we favor for its home-style foods, moderate prices and friendly service. We have picked a busy time to be here, though, and face a longer-than-usual wait for supper. But that's ......
2010-02-28 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We got one of those forwarded e-mails the other day — you know, the little essays that travel via cyberspace around the world — that focused on the changes that have assailed childhood during the past 20-something years. The subject matter wasn't new to us, although this e-mail d......
2010-02-21 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's 7 a.m. and I'm pouring water into the coffeemaker. "OK," I say, "that's enough; you don't need a full pot." And then, "Now where did I put that coffee scoop?" And then, "Let's see what's on the calendar today," and "What do I want to make for supper?" and "Will there be time to get......
2010-02-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One ice-cold day, Old Dad and I set out on a road trip with two old friends. Dad sat in front with his buddy, Gary, who was driving, while we ladies sat behind engaged in "girl talk." Because the weather was frigid, I expected to be shivering for miles and was pleased to learn that Gary's car had......
2010-02-07 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
While it affects the country coast-to-coast, from early fall through the winter holidays, Football Fever took on a new, and higher, degree this week. Don't follow football? Not interested in sports? I bet you're aware today is Super Bowl Sunday anyway. How can we escape it? TV promos for ton......
2010-01-31 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Talking with friends who, like us, recall when a dollar would buy a movie ticket and 25 cents purchased a cheeseburger, Old Dad and I often hear how great life was "in the good old days," although we lacked air conditioning, e-mail and HDTV. Certainly there were areas in life, then, that wer......
2010-01-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There is a slow cooker warming an area on the kitchen counter with its simmering beef roast and vegetables. The coffee maker is churning out a fresh carafe of java and there are muffins baking in the oven. On the back burner of the stove a cauldron filled with homemade soup bubbles away and I'......
2010-01-17 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
According to our Founding Fathers, we are endowed by our Creator with three things: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Not necessarily happiness, only the pursuit of it. As individuals, we find happiness in various places — nature's wonders, perhaps, or wealth, other people or......
2010-01-10 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
While the holidays are now only memories, we are still putting away leftover signs of them — the golden wreath that hangs on the front door, a wooden snowman that sits on the windowsill, the smallest of our three Nativity scenes — and my thoughts turn to the celebrations that marked C......
2010-01-03 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With the holidays behind us, we look forward now only to weeks of frosty weather — biting winds, freezing temperatures and white stuff that turns our roads into slippery slopes. Winter has been referred to as "cold-hearted," and for some, the prospect of being housebound for long perio......
2009-12-27 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
The house is quiet today. The sound of ripping paper, the oohs and aahs of discovery are silenced. Christmas is over. The events in life we most anticipate seem to come and go at lightning speed and we are already thinking about the next holiday, the next journey. But now that the busyness of Chr......
2009-12-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We have only four more days to shop, wrap, bake and clean. We might have been working toward this celebration since last December, yet we wonder: "How did Christmas get here so quickly?" So we take a deep breath, whisper, "Here we go!" and rush into the final week. We will head out to buy "e......
2009-12-13 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Old Dad and I are settled down in comfortable coach seats on an Amtrak train — the beginning of a journey westward to celebrate with dear friends their 50th wedding anniversary. Our coach slips along a corridor through Lancaster and Dauphin counties, one that we have, until now, only seen f......
2009-12-06 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We sat, Old Dad and I, among a group of friends, all of whom now hold their early adulthood in long-term memory. As it happens when mature folks gather, the conversation turned to how different the world is today than it was in our younger years. We who were thrilled with our first TV sets are no......
2009-11-29 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Although it's too late to catch the beauty of autumn in the mountains of the Western USA, Old Dad and I are planning a trip through Colorado, Utah and Nevada to visit friends on the "Left Coast." Other than a "plane change" in Denver years ago, we have not been in that part of the country and we'......
2009-11-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Now and then a story reaches us about a family torn apart after a loved one dies, a division caused not by grief but by greed. Perhaps Aunt Agnes left the bulk of her fortune to Letitia, Letitia's sister Myrtle is furious. And the war is on. When a celebrity passes, instructions for dispensi......
2009-11-15 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
In thrift and consignment shops all over the nation there are all sorts of items to purchase — used, gently used, "shabby chic" and, often, brand-new. It's always fun to find something still bearing the tags from a favorite boutique with a thrift-store price on it, but shoppers are happy wi......
2009-11-08 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It was time, a few weeks ago, to put away the warm-weather clothing and bring out the T-necks and sweatshirts. That was easy. What was harder to do was to exchange the summer tote bag for the smaller, winter-leather purse. First, I had to empty the tote and take inventory. There was the wall......
2009-11-01 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Oh, no, it's November. Already? When we have just stored the dahlia tubers, saving them to plant again next year, when we have only last night turned the clocks back to standard time, when we have not yet dug out all the winter-weather clothing from its attic hideaway ... it is already Novem......
2009-10-25 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not long ago, I decided to exchange the floral wreath on the front door for a more timely adornment. The rest of the neighborhood was decked out in pumpkins, chrysanthemums and hay bales and it was obvious our household was a little out of season. To gather ideas for fall décor, I sta......
2009-10-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Browsing through an AARP publication, I am struck by what a funny world we live in. A recent edition reported on an airline that transports not people but pets and an amusement park attraction that focuses on not fun but finances. The pet-transport company, Florida-based Pet Airways, has eli......
2009-10-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Much of America's business will be put on hold tomorrow when we mark the date when Christopher Columbus discovered the "New World." The interesting thing about Columbus' story is that he never believed he'd found a previously unknown territory. He thought he'd landed somewhere in Asia, which is w......
2009-10-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Flipping channels the other day, an ear-splitting ad called my attention to a large, curvaceous female anatomy (in living color). The body's parts, that in younger women curve gracefully in and out, were — for lack of a better word — bulging, mostly outward, in impressive dimensions....
2009-09-26 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's a given that as we age our body parts begin to wear out. Even in our early 40s, some of us notice that we are holding the newspaper farther and farther away from our faces. Eventually, when our arms become too short, we invest in eyeglasses. As time marches on, some of us find we ar......
2009-09-20 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
As summer fades and we officially enter autumn, this month might be regarded as "the silly season" — especially this year, especially in Pennsylvania. Sure, we're concerned about the state of our economy; we're passionately for or against health-care reform; we're embarrassed — a......
2009-09-13 00:03:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Some things that are commonplace today, causing few uplifted eyebrows, consistently surprise me. Imagine — a teenage boy, 6 feet tall and with hands like meat hooks, can use a cell phone with buttons smaller than dew drops to text message his friends at lightning speed. And does it whi......
2009-09-06 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Only weeks ago, Old Dad and I finished redecorating the master bath in the house. We were sure, then, that we wouldn't pick up a paint brush again in this lifetime and for a while we were quite pleased — smug, even — with our refurbished room. Yet something wasn't right. Our sati......
2009-08-30 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
One recent evening, I watched as a professional baseball player dug his feet into the batter's box. A member of the Arizona Diamondbacks visiting Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, his uniform was gray, trimmed with red. But something was amiss. Was he wearing a black collar or had he not washed ......
2009-08-23 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We had some errands to do the other day and were ready to leave the house just as the dryer finished its cycle. No big deal, I thought; I'll take care of the clothes when we get home. Bad decision. The five minutes I would have spent hanging up those shirts was replaced by an hour spent over the iro...
2009-08-16 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Settled in at the breakfast table, I plan to cover the morning paper from front to back. Most days, I pass by the classified ads to get more quickly to the weather report, but today I decide to do as my husband often does and discover what kinds of things are offered to the public at large. And......
2009-08-09 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not long ago, I was reading an item by author Judith Viorst in which she explained how she was puzzled — amazed, even — to realize she wasn't 20 anymore. And, she asked, when did that happen? I laughed at her amazement, recognizing my own surprise at the same realization. Because, r......
2009-08-02 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's a warm summer day, a lazy day. From the backyard deck, I watch a flock of finches flit back and forth from pine trees to bird feeders. A rabbit hops out from under the deck and scurries away to hide under a neighbor's bushes. While I should be dusting and I could be reading, I am instea...
2009-07-26 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It started as a simple project — the bathroom had passed "shabby chic" and was just plain shabby, so we would paint it. Simple, right? But complications set in. When it came to choosing a new color, there were differences of opinion between the one who paints (Old Dad) and the one who sup......
2009-07-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Although it is a summer evening, the air is cool on this night and many in the crowd watching the baseball game are wearing jackets or sweatshirts. The field, drenched in light, stands out sharply from the surrounding, darkened, green hills. Old Dad and I are here to see one of the grandsons pl......
2009-07-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
On the last Thursday in June, newscasters from every medium were interrupting regular schedules with a startling announcement: singer Michael Jackson had died unexpectedly. And, almost as an afterthought, they told us that actress Farrah Fawcett had lost her long, difficult battle with cancer. ......
2009-07-05 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's obvious to all of us that all of us do not think alike. Some favor vanilla, others chocolate. Some fans consider baseball a perfect game; others are restless until football season kicks off. I might see an abstract painting and mumble that a kindergartner could do that and someone else wil......
2009-06-28 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
By the time this is printed, we might be basking in sunshine; but, at this writing, we have been suffering from a dearth of natural light. If, at the beginning of 2009, we were experiencing a shortage of rainfall, I'm sure by now that has been corrected. We wake in the morning to gray skies and......
2009-06-21 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
On a recent journey through a few southern states, Old Dad and I passed countless streets with names that captured our attention, names such as Detour Road, Equipment Street and Good Intent Road. While we hadn't time to see where these avenues would lead, my interest in road names was piqued. &......
2009-06-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's not my favorite job, but when the kitchen cupboard takes on a "Mother Hubbard" look, it is necessary to go grocery shopping. That once simple chore has become an extraordinary challenge, one I haven't readily embraced. Mentally, I expect to enter the supermarket looking for ordinary things: bre...
2009-06-07 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
For more than a year, someone else has been riding with my husband and me when we're in Old Dad's car. Our guest has a distinctive voice and manner and often disagrees with the routes we take to get to our favorite haunts. The guest, of course, is "Lulu," our GPS device that has been programmed......
2009-05-31 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Since Memorial Day has come and gone, it's indeed summer whether we've reached the June solstice or not. The holiday seems to be the starting gun for a season of picnics, pools and patio parties. College kids, home from school, catch up with friends while they work — or seek work — ......
2009-05-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Last week, after too many rainy days in a row, I was ready to leave town. Preferably in a car, but after so much precipitation we might have used a boat. Neighborhood garden plots were mud holes and the kids' softball fields were peppered with puddles; so an escape seemed like a fine idea. The ......
2009-05-17 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Because it is spring and we are restless, and because, as I write this, we have been imprisoned in the house by a long string of rainy days, our thoughts are turning to flight. As in getting out of here. As in running away from home. And so, we begin to research areas and means of escape. ......
2009-05-10 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
After putting it off for days, this week I could procrastinate no longer. Our pantry resembled Old Mother Hubbard's and it was time to head for the supermarket. Grocery shopping, these days, is a different experience for those of us who spent years in a do-it-yourself kitchen. Our weekly lists ......
2009-05-03 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Perhaps you have noticed signs outside various county schools announcing "This Month We Are Looking at Patience" or "Our Character Trait for May is Kindness." All of the "subjects of the month" are important, although it strikes me as strange that we hold schools r......
2009-04-26 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Once upon a time, we had a camera. Not just an ordinary camera, we thought, but a really classy little model that had a zoom lens and a flash and could take 36 pictures on one roll of film. The 36 shots on one roll, as it turned out, was its one disadvantage. Old Dad and I tend to forget t......
2009-04-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It is dinner time and Old Dad and I are eating out with two of the grandchildren. We know this meal will be fun because, with an 8- and 6-year-old, we expect the unexpected. The children look over the menu and place their order — hot dogs on a pretzel roll, one root beer, one lemonade. OK......
2009-04-12 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
We are reminded, from time to time, that we should recognize — and be grateful for — the positive things in our lives. And so, from time to time, I do a mental survey of the "good stuff" in order to be properly appreciative. On any given day, it might be the ......
2009-04-05 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
A box of chocolates sits on the lunch table, where the volunteers — most of whom are women — report to work at an area charity. Not just women. Chocoholic women. One by one, the ladies inspect the box, but all resist the urge to dig in. It is, after all, early in the mornin......
2009-03-29 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It is a late-March afternoon, but the weather is holding on to its gloomy winter mood as Old Dad and I finish a day's volunteer work and climb into the car. Our energy level is decidedly low and although it's little early for dinner, my husband suggests we stop somewhere to eat so there will be no c...
2009-03-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Perusing a 1991 book by Robert Fulghum a few days ago, I came across a passage where the author discussed the phrase "minimum daily requirement." The phrase refers, ordinarily, to the nutrition in the foods we eat; but, to Fulghum, it has a larger meaning: What must we have, every day, to get by?...
2009-03-15 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Practically everyone's heard a fish tale or two from their favorite fisherman. You know — "the big one that got away," or "the biggest one I ever saw in that lake." We've heard stories of the great times anglers have had on a placid lake or the danger they faced when weather on the bay turned ...
2009-03-08 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Once upon a time, the "talk of the town" focused on political campaigns, the latest performance of one's favorite football team or the status of Brangelina's relationship. These days, folks are more likely to be talking about the economy. Or more precisely, the dismal state of the economy. To b......
2009-03-01 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It's strange, isn't it, that we are so willing to accept chemical products in our food while we seek natural ingredients in items we use externally? For instance, while checking the ingredients in a can of soup, I found a number of things that, not only do I not identify as food, but that I can......
2009-02-22 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
There's a book in my kitchen filled with almost 400 pages of helpful suggestions for ways to solve housekeeping problems. It was gleaned from a book store's "bargain books" shelf at a very small price and gave me hope that there would be no dirt dilemmas that I couldn't resolve...
2009-02-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
They have arrived — the brochures and fliers from various tour companies that describe the trips each of the companies will offer during 2009. Snug in my easy chair, I peruse the lists, imagining myself inspired by the beauty of the Natural Bridge or bouncing to the rhythm of a big band sound ...
2009-02-08 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
It started out simply: My husband and I needed a new coffee maker to replace one that was on its way to becoming an antique, and we went to an area department store to make that purchase. Initially, it seemed our outing would be brief when, from a vast array of coffee makers, we found one that ......
2009-02-01 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Heading west on Route 30, I was grateful for the sun beaming through the car's windows, helping to warm me on one of the coldest days of the season. Waiting for me on the other side of the river was 8-year-old Grandson, who was having a day off from school while both of his parents were working....
2009-01-25 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Not long ago, a friend sent me an e-mail listing some humorous reasons why older people should walk for fitness. The item was tongue-in-cheek, of course; we mature citizens already know all the real reasons for walking, but often choose to ignore them in favor of controlling the TV remote. Stil......
2009-01-18 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
As I write this, television newscasts are displaying the crawl across the screen that announces school closings and delays for the following day. Sports events will be postponed; meetings will be canceled; lessons will be missed because Ol' Man Winter will be showing off. They say we will w......
2009-01-11 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Once upon a time, our house rattled with the sounds of children: youngsters revealing their grade-school adventures, the tunes of Big Bird and Kermit, the rattle of a toddler's play lawn mower. And there were times, then, when a small part of me longed for silence. Those little-people sounds ev......
2009-01-04 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Isn't it amazing? All the excitement, preparation, rushing about — it's over. For months, we scurried about with lists in hand, working to create a perfect holiday season. And, in the blink of an eye, it's past. Today, discarded trees, devoid of their finery, sit on curbs waiting for the trash...
2008-12-28 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
OK, has the crumpled wrapping paper been sent to the landfill and the new sweaters safely stowed in the bureau drawers? Are there any cookies left or have the kids devoured every last sand tart? These are thoughts that come to mind now that Christmas Present is Christmas Past and another year w......
2008-12-21 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Our neighborhoods are aglow with outdoor lights twinkling in bushes and spotlights accenting inflatable snowmen. All is in order for the Christmas holiday. Or not. By the beginning of the past week, I thought our preparations were complete. This was the year I'd be so organized that I'd sp......
2008-12-14 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Ah, December. 'Tis the season to be shopping. Baking. Wrapping. 'Tis the season to be ... trying. Shoppers rush through crowded malls trying to find the right gift at the right price, trying to fit their buying sprees into the small spaces between work and the kids' music lessons, trying to fin......
2008-12-07 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
This chilly, late-autumn day has been a quiet one and now, as evening approaches, I curl up on the sofa, wrap an afghan around my shoulders and reach for the TV remote. While an endless string of commercials urges me to buy this product or that, I find myself reflecting on the events — or......
2008-11-30 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
So Thanksgiving and Black Friday 2008 are already memories and November is about to take its leave and now I'm getting both serious and unnerved regarding preparations for the Christmas season. In our house — although several boxes are wrapped, bowed and stored away — there is still......
2008-11-23 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
With the Thanksgiving holiday almost upon us, thoughts inevitably turn to other "turkey days," those in the past that have been permanently engraved in memory. There was the first holiday dinner I ever cooked for my in-laws, when I didn't realize you had to sauté the celery and onions be......
2008-11-16 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
What an amazing autumn it has been. The cost of gasoline dropped to a manageable level after spiraling upward as quickly as the stock market slid downward. We elected a new president and changed the composition of Congress. The Phillies won the World Series. And along with the economic, po......
2008-11-09 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
He's one of the cutest dogs you'll ever see. Ears that flap as he runs, soulful eyes, oversize feet and a tail that's rarely still. One of the newest family members, Wrinkles ("Rink" for short), is a chocolate Lab, about 2 months old, the color of a Wilbur Bud and almost as sweet. He was quickly hou...
2008-11-02 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
At last. After what must have been the longest presidential campaign in the history of the world, we are closing in on The End. Is it my imagination or did the 2008 run for the Oval Office begin before the sun set on W's 2005 inaugural speech? We have enjoyed or endured (your choice) more orati......
2008-10-26 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Wrinkles. Gray hair. Excess corpulence. Bifocals. Memory lapses. As we add years to our autobiographies, the list continues to grow. And while all of the above have afflicted me, I had until recently avoided one more difficulty: cataracts. But time marches on and, while I was sympathizing with ......
2008-10-19 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Most years, when October rolls around, I'm thinking orange, gold, red and yellow — looking forward, with pleasure, to the changing colors of leaves and the splendor of the Pennsylvania foliage. But this year, this month, another color comes to mind and, as I write this, it is pink that's in my...
2008-10-12 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT, Daze of Our Lives
Doesn't it seem like Americans tend to focus too intently on shape — not just the shape of the economy, which actually demands and deserves our attention, but the shape of our bodies? And, by that, I don't mean our state of health, but the dimensions of our figures. For a while, it seemed......
2008-10-05 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Last week, we picked the last tomato from a small plant that has been sagging from the weight of its fruit for weeks. Skeptical about growing anything edible on a small deck outside the back door, we placed the little "patio tomato" in a flower pot earlier this summer and sat back and waited. W......
2008-09-28 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Not long ago, Old Dad called my attention to a news report detailing the construction of that mega-wall that's going up along the border between Mexico and the USA. Dad was appalled to read that the cost of the wall would be $400-something. Million or billion, I forget. When numbers get into the "il...
2008-09-21 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
There were several of them there on the corner — teenagers, waiting for the bus that would transport them to school — and it surprised me that no one in the group was talking. The girls weren't sharing the latest gossip or the struggles over last evening's assignment. The boys weren't ro...
2008-09-14 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Perhaps because we are almost halfway through September, some of us have been feeling a little restless. We're having unexplainable urges and surprising thoughts. But we are not planning an escape to a tropic isle or changing our hair color. What is happening is this: We are compelled to clean....
2008-09-07 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
It's good news for most of us to find that gasoline prices are inching their way down. Although our pain at the pump is still real, it is slightly less intense than it was a few weeks ago. But while we've been agonizing over the price of petrol, there are some other costs, even more outrageous,......
2008-08-31 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Mindful of the need to practice a healthy lifestyle, Old Dad and I try to be reasonably active — at least reasonably active for a couple who are longtime AARP members. We realize that, to stay healthy, we need to watch the food we eat. And not, as in our younger life, "watch" it move from plat...
2008-08-24 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Of all the publications that fill our magazine basket, my husband's favorite is one that's focused on his favorite sport, fishing. Although my own interests lean toward nutrition issues and bargain-travel destinations, from time to time I peruse the pages of Old Dad's chosen magazine. And I am alway...
2008-08-17 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Historian Thomas Carlyle once said, "Blessed be Cadmus, the Phoenicians, or whoever it was that invented books." His sentiment reflects that of most bibliophiles, those of us who can't imagine life without books. You know, books: collections of paper pages, bound together and held intact betwee......
2008-08-10 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
Where will we go? That was our dilemma while a friend was visiting from out of state. We wanted to show her local areas of interest without misleading her with tourist kitsch ... because the real Lancaster isn't Route 30's garish gateway to the city, the retail outlets that beckon shoppers from afar...
2008-08-03 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
A longtime friend visited us recently from her home in Wyoming and, because Old Dad and I wanted to show her this area, we went for a drive, meandering through Lancaster County, passing fields of corn and tobacco and roadside produce stands. Our friend, familiar with open plains and majestic mountai...
2008-07-27 00:02:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
From the doorway, as Old Dad and I peered at the crowd gathered in the banquet room, our first thought was: "Who are all those old people?" The men and women we saw didn't resemble the friends who shared our high school adventures, the classmates who agonized with us over geometry tests and Eng......
2008-07-20 00:01:00
PEGGY SCHMIDT
An article in a recent "Reader's Digest" discussed "why we're happy." The writer, Arthur C. Brooks, has found that happiness is tied to values, faith, hard work, marriage, charity and freedom. In his happiness investigation, he learned that those who practice religion regularly are happier than......
