Columns

These monotonous March days

These monotonous March days, Cuddles, our tortoiseshell cat, spends a good deal of daylight contemplating springtime. When she's not napping on a chair beneath the kitchen or dining room table, she jumps up on her stool by the kitchen's sliding-glass door. I love how...

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The scrap book is a treasure

On January 14, Janis Weaver Duke came to the Almont Community Historical Society Museum and donated a number of items. Included in the items was a “Friendship Quilt” sewn in 1935, Earl Cochrane’s leather baby booties, Earl’s sister Florence’s hi-top shoes that...

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Beating the bushes

Well, it took winter long enough to arrive, and let loose when she did. My local library cancelled their "Pride and Prejudice" book talk two consecutive Wednesday nights due to icy roads. Then, somehow, this past Wednesday night, I missed the discussion. "P&P," as...

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What a beautiful notion

I have a friend who is a bishop in Nigeria. Many times he has shared about the murder of members of the churches under his purview by antichristian terrorists. Yet, both he and his people exude an undeniable joy even though they could be snatched up and butchered at...

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Terms of endearment

This past February 20, between snow and ice storms, a friend emailed, "My narcissus are popping up, the little stinkers!" Amused by her sentiment, and happy to oblige a truthful report, I replied, "And my daffies are popping up, the little stinkers!" For I keep a...

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Almont’s one of a kind, Nick Liblong

Nicholas “Nick” Adam Liblong was born July 23, 1915 in Almont, Lapeer, Michigan to Nicholas J. Liblong (1890-1969) and Emma Anna Kempf Liblong (1892-1980). He was a first generation American. Grandpa Nick, as I knew him, was born August 23, 1890 in Molin in the...

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Hummingbird cake history

Everything holds a history, particularly delicious desserts. Take pie, for example, spelled “pye” in medieval England. Remember the nursery rhyme “Sing a Song of Sixpence”? Indeed, at one time in British culture, live birds flew from pies in surprise entertainment for...

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The Scout’s Report: Check Your Sources

This morning I handled a few domestic chores. These included checking the oil in the car as well as air pressure and giving the old Ford a wash. But I failed to use a list, so when I came inside to tackle some cyber chores, I saw an empty feeder hanging in the burning...

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My somewhat agrarian life

Crows call my focus to the treetops – a sign my saunter interrupted their feast of prey. Within a few steps, I find a dead rabbit in my path. I occasionally encounter this sad sight on my walks, the auto's intrusion of the natural world's cycle of capture, kill and...

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Revival can happen for you as well

They came, usually, in the fall and spring. Often, they were a week-long event with services of around two hours in length each night. The phenomenon was revival. The purpose of revival meetings was to rekindle a passionate love for Jesus Christ and bring people to...

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