Iconic signage

Signage issues and laws can really get people riled up. We lived with a really ugly sign close by for many years. It was in front of a tire shop. The sign was removed after a lengthy battle and we all did the happy dance. It was too tall to be in a residential area and it was ugly. In some cities there are signs every where and in others there are very few. Continue Reading

Where’s Ifrah?

Was it something she wrote? Was it something we said? Why isn’t “Ask a Somali” in the Daily Planet?

The questions just keep coming, so let me offer some answers and a promise. The promise first: Ifrah says she’ll be back in May! We will be very happy to welcome her back to the Daily Planet, where her popular column stirred interest and comments every week. Continue Reading

Politics and Facebook Don’t Mix

Uncertainty about the economy and the future leaves most people feeling uneasy. Add in the complexities of managing family life and work, and it’s easy to see why we so eagerly seek the diversions of relaxation and entertainment. Continue Reading

Who made those pretty red tiles?

Not every neighborhood has a 100-year-old red tile grain elevator.

I’ve strolled past this Main Street landmark a million times and not really seen it. But in the right light and close up, those red tiles are very cool.

Continue Reading

The era of conservative discontent

It takes very little political savvy to see the discontent that roams the right in the American political scene. A conservative House of Representatives is dysfunctional – with Speaker Boehner unable to coalesce his troops. The popularity of GOP presidential candidates changes monthly, with half already dropping from the race.  The voices of the Tea Party are surprisingly quiet. Continue Reading

Sending out a pebble of happiness.

Does winter finally get to everyone? It seems funny to say, since we’ve been having the mildest winter in, well, forever. No ice on the road, no snow emergencies, no days off school, no worrying that you’re going to get frostbite waiting for the bus… so why am I still yearning for spring? Continue Reading