A different point of view — Since our visit to NY has been longer than planned, I’ve been running out of toiletries. I can use my husband’s toothpaste. I’ve picked up replacements for other things on our shopping trips. But I only discovered I was out of baby powder when I stepped out of the shower…

The convenience store was too convenient — We used to vacation in the Outer Banks of North Carolina every year. One year we went up to Corolla (pronounced cuh-RUHL-la, emphatically not pronounced like the car) to see the wild horses. Outer Banks horses are descended from Spanish horses that jumped ship and swam to shore. They’ve interbred…

Wheel of Fortune fixture — In the early years of Wheel of Fortune, contestants didn’t win cash. The wheel would rotate, displaying a room in a house. Contestants shopped for the prizes they wanted based on how much money they’d won. Since any money they kept could be lost in a later round if they…

Here’s proof — I’ve heard many times — especially from appliance salespeople — that dishwashers are more environmentally sound than washing dishes by hand. But where was the proof? This spring I had my kitchen renovated, as a result of a leaky pipe. The renovation went on for months, during which time we…

Healthy adaptation to change — In my mastermind group, we create three priorities for the year. Mine are relationships, finances, and career. Then we create yearly goals. One of my goals is moving to the Caribbean. Yet, we canceled our flight and are staying an undetermined length of time in NY to take care of…

Safer than pesticide — I hate bugs. So of course, my parents’ house has bug problems. Growing up, we had ants. Then there was the infamous pantry moth infestation. In recent years, there’s been an issue with shield bugs. These bugs look ugly, but they’re harmless. They hibernate in the attic, then come down…

You have power, too — Many people think when they go to a car dealership for a new car, that the dealer has all the power. Nope. If you have bad credit, they’ll still sell you a car. They’ll just overcharge on the new car, and underpay on your trade in. Unscrupulous ones will also…

Looks perfect, doesn’t it? — There are some warnings in a lemon meringue pie recipe. Build the crust up over the edge of the tin (to prevent burning) and blind bake it (to prevent soggy crusts). No one said, don’t wait 40 minutes to put the pie in the oven. I had 4 hours to…

Identifying superior visual identification — A recent study has just upended the science of forensic identification. That’s like the stuff you see on CSI that matches faces, fingerprints, tread marks, or ballistic patterns. Previously, it was thought that their extensive training is what allowed people to make forensic identifications. That’s only partly right. This study…