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Archive for the ‘paterfamilias’ Category

When the moment came, I chose not to stand. Out with friends and a raft of new acquaintances with their arms full of food they were hell bent on sharing with everybody, I take in for the first time an Indianapolis ritual that—frankly—until this year never held much appeal.

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My paternal ancestor Salome ‘Sally’ Hoy married William Jacob Leicht in Killinger, Pennylvania, the picturesque valley where I was to walk naively past the gravestones that memorialized—for those more attentive than I—the many Hoys whose remains were lovingly interred in that picturesque place. Alas, I was not among them. I come only lately to the [...]

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When I left my beat-up, loyal, and long-suffering Boostaroos on a plane, I seized the opportunity to see if I could match the force-multiplying role they played so well for this long-suffering long-haul traveler and his beloved Sennheiser PXC 450s at a smaller size and weight. Mission accomplished. The tiny, Chinese-made FiiO E5 headphone amplifier [...]

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My distant relatives Johannes and Anna Maria Weaver (Weber) Hoy lived to the ripe old age of 78 and 76. After a Sunday afternoon drive through the greening fields and mountains of Lykens Valley in a luxuriant Pennsylvania Springtime, it is easy to imagine Johannes and Anna breathing the fresh air and working the rich [...]

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I must confess that a smattering of cheer floats in this third cup of coffee or, more likely, comes via this morning’s Wall Street Journal article called ‘Friendship for Guys (No Tears!)‘ An explanation may be in order. Allow me to begin it with an uncharacteristically (for a man, apparently) dramatic statement: I have guy [...]

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Because I’ve grown to trust the Costco buyers, I didn’t hesitate to snag this gizmo online when my furtive attention fixed itself upon the need to secure the slides and photos our family had accumulated. Many hours of digitization later, I have no regrets. I rock with delight as I discover slide-bound memories one at [...]

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Our two Rhodesian Ridgebacks are not particularly determined chewers. Yet every once in a while, always while no humans are home, the Spirit of Chewing visits our abode. Havoc ensues. After trying all manner of cheaper alternatives, we settled upon the Orvis TouchChew Dog’s Nest bed, one oval the other rectangular. Problem solved. Rosie and [...]

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We’re a family of dogs, cats, people, and multiple stories. Peace and harmony depend on each of us staying where he or she belongs. Enter the Orvis Hardware Door Frame Containment Gate. We use this exceptionally well-built pet gate at the bottom of the stairs that lead from the ground floor to the second. Dogs [...]

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I confess: I didn’t know how may book I owned. My guess would not even have come close. Worse, from time to time I sold a handful of books used on Amazon, only to find that when an order came through I couldn’t locate the book. In order to provide reasonable service, I ended up [...]

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In our home, a morning without coffee is not anything like a day without sunshine. It’s more like a dark and terrifying nightmare that never ends with a soundtrack of Eagles tunes sung by the young Madonna (‘You can check out anytime you want but you can never, ever leave’). Much, then, was my joy [...]

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