By Sharon M. Kennedy How’s your New Year’s weight loss resolution going? I hope you’re having better luck than I am. Being overweight was something I never paid much attention to because I was always thin. When I was a kid, dresses hung on me like rags on a clothesline….
Reading LIFE IN A TIN CAN, a thoroughly entertaining a book by Sharon M. Kennedy. The book of humorous, poignant, and nostalgic stories is available at Amazon.
By Sharon M. Kennedy “Climb the mountain,” the hiking instructor yelled, and I thought to myself, it’s only a steep hill, but I kept quiet. Let the young fellow call it a mountain and encourage us to climb as if it were Everest. The year was 2001. While waiting for…
Today ushers in the first day of spring, the most welcome season of the year. For the past few days, it’s been warm in Brimley, Michigan—my little corner of the U.P. Yesterday I washed my hoodie and hung it in a closet. That means I’m down to only three layers…
Early morning beer delivery in Dublin Every St. Patrick’s Day, Dad drilled into us kids the importance of wearing something green and proudly pinning a shamrock to our clothing. March 17 was the only day of the year orange was an absolutely forbidden color for it was a reminder of…
When I was a kid, the Lenten season was a scary, somber time. Fear started on opening day when the priest ground ashes into my forehead, made the sign of the cross, and told me to remember that I was dust and unto dust I would return. Mom probably walked…
By Sharon Kennedy Dad’s Truck (March 2022) March winds are almost here. Soon they’ll blow off Lake Superior as strong and secretive forces, entities unto themselves that remind us winter does not want to let go. Today I felt their cold fingers encircle me. I watched as they lifted loose…
by Sharon M. Kennedy The greatest event in February is the day all females look forward to as eagerly as Cupid. Women of all ages anticipate Valentine’s Day for the wonderful surprises it will bring. It’s the perfect day for fellows to “pop the question” and end their carefree…
by Sharon Kennedy A snow packing roller like dad used (pic. from my Ireland trip)As January winds blow into February, we continue to hunker down and hold on. Those of us who call Michigan’s Upper Peninsula home know we’re facing eight or more weeks of snow, icy winds, and freezing…
By Sharon Kennedy My old wristwatches and clocks (above) Everybody wants to know where the time goes. Most of us have no idea what happened to January, but we all know that after Valentine’s Day February will go just as fast. Once the fuss of St. Patrick’s Day is over,…
Sharon in Plaid (center) with siblings A plaid shirt is as much a part of my wardrobe today as it was when I was a kid. Some of you might remember the plaid shirts that matched the plaid lining in our overalls. Such garments were staples for kids in the…
by Sharon M. Kennedy Sharon is no longer afraid of Herefords! s I grew up on a farm in the eastern end of the Upper Peninsula where winters are long and cold. As a youngster, I loved the first few snowfalls, especially if the snow was packy. It was great…
by Sharon M. Kennedy Growing up on my sideroad in the 1950s was a lot different than it is today. In those days, the county lacked the sophisticated equipment required to level snow banks. As kids, we often dug holes in the four feet high banks and hollowed out forts….
by Sharon M. Kennedy I’ll admit it. I’ve committed the only unpardonable crime in America. It has nothing to do with a legal infraction that could easily be dismissed by hiring a competent lawyer. I didn’t make elaborate coup plans or check out questionable Internet sites. The silent crime more…
by Sharon Kennedy Melancholy is as much a part of me as my right arm. What would I do without my constant companion? Who would I turn to for comfort? Sometimes I stand in my yard and feel the wind upon my face. Regardless of the season it doesn’t take…
by Sharon M. Kennedy Puff the Cat guarding the fruitcake Say what you will, but I like fruitcake, my version anyway. I bypass all the candied, sulfite-riddled sticky peel and go straight for dates and nuts. I drench them with frozen orange juice and a good amount of amaretto and…
by Sharon M. Kennedy Prior to selling them last year, every December I got out my collection of Christmas dishes. Some had trees on them. Others were vintage green with red holly. One set depicted snowmen. Over the years I purchased miscellaneous sets from various places because dishes are my…
by Sharon M. Kennedy Mom heading to the wellhouse to check her mouse trap line Remember when a mouse was something you caught in a trap and didn’t want to touch? When I was a kid, checking Mom’s trap line was my least favorite chore. I didn’t mind any other…
by Sharon Kennedy In 2018, now retired Capt. Ray Sheldon of Escanaba invited me to sail aboard his ship, the Joseph L. Block. On Nov. 14, the ship was at the Cedarville quarry around 1800 hours, in other words, 6:00 p.m. EST. I don’t drive at night so I arrived…
For those of us who lived on a farm in the old days, the slop pail was an essential kitchen fixture. Most farmers kept a few pigs and anything not consumed by the family was thrown in the pail. Table scraps, potato and carrot peelings, onion skins, celery strings, and…
Throughout the years most of the women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting had two things in common. At one time or another, they all tried their hand at selling Avon products and when that idea fizzled, they took a cake decorating class. I have to admit, I’m part of…
One characteristic of all newlyweds or seasoned house hunters is their insistence upon stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and stone floors. The marketing genius who came up with the idea of going sockless must be the same one who brainwashed homebuyers into thinking they need a kitchen outfitted with “upgrades”…
For years I longed for a beautiful leather chair. It was my opinion that every writer’s study should have bookshelves teeming with dusty classics, a fireplace to give the room a cozy feel, and a luxurious leather chair to complete the look. Mind you, my so-called study was only a…
Joseph L. Block (courtesy of Roger LeLievre) Years ago when the Great Lakes teemed with freighters the sound of a foghorn breaking the morning stillness was a familiar one. The Soo Locks would be thick with ships heading upbound for Lake Superior and Duluth or downbound towards the St. Lawrence…
I was walking down the road this morning and noticed the fields were full of vegetation going to seed. I thought about the seasonal cycles and how nature knows when it’s time to wrap up one and begin the next. The fields and forests have no calendars or smartphones to…
