Grandma Bori’s candy dish

As we are approaching Christmas, I always start thinking about people who have been important in my life.  They are so missed and were such an important part of our family traditions.  I was just questioned on Grandma Bori on Facebook  yesterday;  my  cousin’s wife asking if I had the infamous recipe for Grandma Bori’s

My Untypical Autobiography from 1968

I have spent more than enough time in my wonderful, carpeted crawlspace of late and came across this piece of writing dated, September 16, 1968.  It was written for my English class in my senior year of high school (Valley Forge High School in Parma Heights, Ohio).  It was written in cursive, skipping lines, in

The Art of being self-conscious

At a very early age I learned to be self-conscious, or should I say that I was, perhaps, genetically predisposed to it.  As an educator I have been able to help many a student in a similar predicament.  I have always felt something special for the individual who is a victim of himself/herself and doesn’t

Bud and Gladys and Eagle River

  Each year, we send out fewer and fewer Christmas cards.  One we always have sent out with great joy is to our favorite North Woods people:  Bud (who departed this world in 2004) and Gladys.  Just after Thanksgiving, I sent out the cards.  The other day, however, I received a sad Christmas card from

How I ruined my Mother’s Christmas Dinner!

  This is a story that has been told ad infinitum in my family.  It is a reminder to me of the type of thing one should never tell a child or a student.  This is not a true criticism of my mom, she just didn’t know better.  It has always annoyed me when someone

Another kind of Loss and Regrets

  I have been a very blessed human being in so many ways.  I was genetically predisposed to so many little bits of negativity.  I sometimes think that it is in the often sad Hungarian blood that courses through my veins.  It is a sadness borne out in the violin music typical of my heritage. 

A day in the life

Today I got up at the usual time, early as always, to a blanket of snow on the ground that quickly invited my presence.  Cleaned up, went outside and moved the slightly wet snow off of the driveway and then had some breakfast.  Then, I really cleaned up and got dressed to go to a

A lifechanging event…

When I was 19 ½, I flew from Cleveland to New York (Idlewild, now JFK airport) and then from there to Paris. It was a monumental trip for me. Upon leaving, my mother said to me, “You’ll never last!” Actually, her words were not far from reality. I was a relatively sheltered, shy, reserved young

Happy Feet and Le Petit Prince

As I am watching bits and pieces of the movie Happy Feet, I cannot help but think of some similarities between it and Le Petit Prince. Not that they are the same, but I find that both are multi-level works.  Each has a decidedly “children” look to it but yet has other levels that are

Thoughts about being green and saving money

In many ways, the Koerners have been ahead of the times.  I have been composting for as long as I can remember.  I have been recycling coffee grounds for years.  Actually, my grandmother taught me to do that when I was a kid.  In Deerfield, where I live, any yard waste has to be placed