This is the time of year to be sky-minded. Orioles, finches, and hummingbirds paint the morning air with flashes of orange, yellow, and green. The walnut tree behind our house becomes an aerial battlefield, its leaves providing cover for territorial dogfights, even as...

In keeping with the theme of friendly skies, which I touched on last week, I’d like to dedicate this column to the intrepid spirit of the earliest aviators, who first demonstrated that earth need not be mankind’s prison, but instead could be a sublime...

The great disappointment of this year’s Wimbledon was not that we were denied another classic championship match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Rather, it was watching Federer behave badly. Sportsmanship is still alive and well in the world of...

Last Tuesday, July 6th, the thermometer hit 105˚ down in Baltimore. In a heat-induced spasm of self-pity, I turned to the record books, hoping to find there an even more miserable temperature from the city’s past. I found one -- and only one -- hotter day,...

Landisburg, PA A recent rash of solar garden light thefts has led many Perry County residents to think they’ve been the victims of mindless drunken teenage thieves. Not so, says Special Agent Perot Rastaman of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. “What at...

On Thursday, July 15th, my eyes were glued to my Internet browser, where a strange and sometimes baffling underwater ballet was unfolding. Perhaps you were watching the live video feeds from the BP oil well spill that day, too. I watched with a mixture of revulsion...

Late summer is the time to be fair-minded. And by that, I don’t mean that we should treat those who disagree with us with an extra degree of respect – although that wouldn’t be such a bad idea as the thermometer tops out in August. I mean we should...

It was a Saturday morning auction like any other. By nine o’clock, the grass parking area, carefully cordoned off from the rest of the yard with orange “warning” tape, was already packed with pick-up trucks, a few cars, and an Amish horse carriage --...

We’ve reached the time of year when the outdoors-challenged among us have to make a hard decision.  It’s ninety-five degrees out, the biting insects are swarming, and there’s a brick patio to lay. Do I  a. cover up from head to toe and risk...

What is it about stepping in water when you’re wearing socks? One moment, your foot’s dry and toasty. The next, you’ve got a cold tongue working its way up between your toes. Yuck. It’s even worse when you’re standing in front of the...

Last week I wrote about the small pleasures of replacing a garbage disposer. It was a quiet column about a quietly satisfying home repair. It wasn’t the easiest job in the world, but nothing went badly wrong. I observed that this was not the usual course of...

I may have mentioned once or twice that I was raised in a city. Growing up in a city had certain advantages and disadvantages. The easy availability of gasoline, for instance: advantage. Lack of visible stars at night: disadvantage. Wonderful libraries and...