Father’s Day spending is expected to reach a record $24 billion this year, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation. The amount is up from last year’s $22.4 billion and beats the previous record of $22.9 billion in 2023. Sometimes, dads can be tough to buy for.... Read more →

Photo: Wildlife Madagascar Recently, I was lucky to get to go to San Diego for book signing to raise money for Wildlife Madagascar. The organization was founded in 2023 by my niece Debra Erickson. I was the first member of Wildlife Madagascar. The speaker for the event was Keriann McGoogan,... Read more →

Some consumers have been stock piling food and other items for months in anticipation of prices going up due to Trump’s tariffs and other policies. With 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico and 10 percent on China, it will begin Saturday. When I went grocery shopping this week, I... Read more →

For most summers, my daughter Lisa, who lives in Madrid, visits me with her kids, Rafa and Cecilia. Although the visits are shorter now that the kids are older and want to spend more time with their friends, we had a great time. Fun times included a barbecue, swimming, walking in an arboretum and parks, dining out, and a July Fourth celebration. Read more →

In my neighborhood, we have two little libraries. A nice addition, I thought. However, I’m not finding books that are great to read. Most of the books are murder mysteries, and since I’ve stopped watching programs on television about murder, I’m not going to read murder mysteries either. One of the libraries is on the way to a park I walk to frequently. Read more →

When I worked at The Anchorage Times during the 1980s, I was fortunate to get my dream job writing a consumer action column. However, along with the job as columnist, I also had to be the religion editor. It meant that every week, I had to write a big feature article on religion along with compiling the Church Circuit. Read more →

The theme for International Women’s Day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality,” because 37 percent of women don’t use the internet and 259 million fewer woman have access to the internet than men. If women aren’t able to access the Internet, they’re unable to develop digital skills, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue STEM careers. Read more →

Last week, in the Seattle area, we had snow, unusual for Western Washington. Fortunately, the power didn’t go out so we got by with little trouble. While I was dealing with weather issues, here’s what my blogger friends were writing about: Read more →

As part of National Older Americans Month in May, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America is providing 10 steps for healthy aging. “Promoting healthy aging helps ensure older adults remain a vibrant, integral community members for many years to come,” said Charles J. Fuschillo Jr., AFA’s president & CEO. Read more →

Parents probably know this, but if they don’t, they should. Kids are learning and mimicking machines. It starts at birth. Once they arrive, they look and listen – to just about everything. They begin absorbing and recording what they see and hear. Read more →