Front Porch Philosophy
Soup Beans
While laying out a bag of beans this afternoon so I don’t forget to soak them tonight, it dawned on me that I’ve never written about soup beans before. First, …
80s
Retro Ramblings
Friday Nights
When I was a kid, the days at school seemed to drag by as slowly as a snail crossing a highway. I believe time slowed down during the hours of …
Retro Ramblings
Cold Saturdays in the 80s
After a long cold winter would keep me inside instead of outside playing with friends, the first glimpses of warm weather in the spring would bring new hope for days …
Retro Ramblings
Playing Cards With Dad
On these cold February evenings when it’s too chilly to sit outside on the porch, I think back to the same kinds of evenings in the late ’80s and early …
Time Capsule
The Official Nintendo Player’s Guide From 1987
When a lot of kids got their first Nintendo Entertainment System, they probably got the version that came with the Super Mario Brothers and Duck Hunt combo. I wasn’t one …
Retro Ramblings
Hungry Jack Biscuits and Grape Jelly
When I was growing up, Mom had breakfast on the table every morning. As sure as the sun rises in the east, you could count on my mom to have …
Special Feature
My Essential Christmas Watch List
Every December as Christmas approaches, my primetime viewing calendar fills up with Christmas movies, shows, and specials. It’s one of my favorite parts of the season and is possibly one …
News
The Not-So-Traditional Thanksgivings of My Youth
The photo you see above is the classic Norman Rockwell painting known as “Freedom From Want”. He created this masterpiece in November of 1942, and it graced the cover of …
Retro Ramblings
Blue Light Special on Nostalgia
As I was posting the news earlier this week about the closing of the last KMart store in the US, I started thinking back to the good memories that I …
Retro Ramblings
Missing Out On the Mad Scientist Monster Lab
It’s Halloween season again, and every time the air turns crisp and the leaves start crunching underfoot, my mind drifts back to the toys that defined the season…and the ones …