Traverse City Record-Eagle - Columns & Blogs

Jodee Taylor: Converting a baseball fan
Raising a baseball fan is no big deal. You've got a little kid following you around everywhere, with a baseball game going in the background. When you hear the crack of the bat or the roar of the crowd, you shush the little kid (gently and lovingly, of course), listen to the action, then let the kid resume the autobabble.
Foodie With Family: Homemade chips and dip
If you want to impress someone but are low on cool tricks I recommend these homemade chips and dip. They are not only delicious but they're simple to make and they're good for you, too. I tested these out on a large gathering of 20 or so families and came home with empty bowls.
Amish Cook: Daughter takes her turn
I am giving Mom a break during this busy spring season of readying the garden. The first garden goodies are already coming up. We have peas, lettuce, radishes, onions and potatoes planted. We were going to plant more on Friday but it rained and the garden was too wet.
Mark Urban: Gridiron secrecy
When a school interviews for a new superintendent, the general public knows the list of potential candidates. When it's a football coach being hired, here comes the Bureau of Gridiron Security. For example, Kingsley may or not hire a new football coach on Monday. Nobody is able to confirm as much, but it appears Josh Sellers is headed to Tennessee and not to Kingsley.
Northern Notes: Thanks for girl's safety
One of a parent's worst nightmares came true for Nicole and Mark Wade when their 3-year-old daughter, Laurel, wandered away from their Traverse City home with the neighbor's dog on April 18.
Ed Hungness: Those darn socks
Last week, my wife was busy doing laundry, which she claims is one of her favorite chores. She was holding my favorite pair of warm, heavyweight socks.
On Poetry: Pausing for Mother's Day
A poem invites an intimacy of the daily sort. I think this is because a good poem, like a good mother, speaks quietly into the ear.
Dave Richey: Mother's Day for Morels
My lower back was aching, and felt as if my spine had been permanently bent in the wrong direction. Picking morel mushrooms was the cause for my sore back, but picking morel mushrooms had been on my May list of things to do. There is something about picking morels that make people willingly assume this painful bent-over position.
The View from Sunnybank: Duck!