Magazine / Off the Beaten Path
-
The Things You Do For Your Grandkids…
Karma. Oh, karma, you really came back hard and bite me in the butt… It all started last summer, when I saw on the internet that the You Tube kiddie personality/sensation Blippi would be embarking on a national tour in 2020. My grandkids watch ... -
There’s No Business Like Snow Business…
That rascally little rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, made a bold prediction a couple of weeks ago that Spring was just around the corner. I found that slightly hilarious, because at the time, Winter had never really arrived here in Western Pennsylvania. ... -
Let Your Light Shine…
Over the years I have been late to the game in getting my Christmas tree up and decorated. My husband always gets the outdoors lights up before I am finally motivated to march up into the attic and haul down the tree and boxes of decorations.I also ... -
Spread A Little Love…
It’s December 14th as I write this column. It’s early morning and the skies are still dark, and I can hear drumming sounds up on my rooftop. I will confess to peeking out the window to see if Santa and his reindeer decided to swing by my house... -
Forever Young…
I must confess that, until I had children myself and my parents became grandparents, I didn’t really fully grasp and get the concept of what a grandparent’s role is. My grandparents and great-grandmother were not the type to play or joke around w... -
Thank You For Being My Friend
Ian CampbellJuly 23, 1989 – June 22, 2019The month of November has become a time of reflection and thankfulness for many people, including myself. Sometimes it’s hard to be thankful when it seems that you can’t focus on anything but the blindi... -
Understanding Oil Contaminants
I received a few interesting questions that may be of interest for our readers:“I brought my truck in for an overhead and the technician told me I needed a new camshaft. Why didn’t the oil sample results let me know my cam shaft was bad? “The f... -
Another Piece Of My Heart…
In all of our piles of “stuff” at our house (and trust me, there are piles and piles) is a huge assortment of sports jerseys. These jerseys pay homage to our Pittsburgh Pirates, Steelers and Penguins.We aren’t true devoted fans as we don’t h... -
She Has The Soul Of A Mermaid…
Our family recently returned from a last-minute planned vacation to Ocean City, Maryland. We had no vacation scheduled for this year but back in June, our oldest granddaughter Mackenna expressed extreme sadness - her kindergarten class had drawn a ph... -
Grandkids Say the Darndest Things…
It’s no secret that I am “gaga” (see what I did there – wink, wink) about my grandkids. I admit it, my life revolves around these four adorable little munchkins. I would do just about anything for them and they know it.Summer is rolling by... -
Tiny Dancers…
I was sitting in a crowded (and hot) auditorium last night along with hundreds of other proud parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and aunts and uncles. We were anxiously waiting for the stars of the show to come onto the stage. Yes, it was da... -
I’m As Free As A Bird…
It’s hard to believe but in a few short weeks, I will be celebrating the 40th anniversary of my graduation from high school. And trust me, I have been celebrating that graduation every day for the past 40 years. Our senior class “theme” song ... -
Winter Is Here…
*Minor GOT spoilers ahead* Now, let me explain…. I know that what felt like an endless winter and its Polar Vortex is (hopefully) finally over for this year. But, for Game of Thrones fans, winter has just arrived after a very long 17 months of wait... -
Is This The Real World – Or Is This Just Fantasy?!
It’s been what can only be described as “an endless winter” this year. I have been knocked down with two bouts of bronchitis, double ear infections and sinusitis. I was also felled by a nasty stomach virus and I have taken several falls on the... -
Sky Wheelies, Ridin’ The Wave, Pogos and Burn Outs! AKA Our First Ever Monster Jam Truck Show!
Back in the late fall, I maybe, kind of, sorta got my not-quite-2-years-old grandson hooked on monster trucks. I don’t even know how that happened, but it did. Soon we were watching Blaze and the Monster Machines DVDs and perusing the toy aisles... -
In The Blink Of An Eye…
I was recently walking in the parking lot of my local post office when I noticed an elderly lady (probably in her 80s), ahead of me. She had a package in one hand and her purse in the other hand. For a lack of a better description, she was slowly ... -
Best Gift Ever!
Many of you have been following my journey as a grandparent (or Gaga, as the grandkids call me) over the past six years. My heart exploded with love and pride when my first grandchild, Mackenna arrived six years ago on December 29th. I was worried... -
In A World Where You Can Be Anything, Be Kind…
The end to Daylight Savings Time occurred almost 2 weeks ago. I will state, for the record, that I despise the time change. I hate the fact that the sky is completely dark before 5:30 in the evening. It’s still dark at 7:00 am because of the sho... -
XPO Logistics to Deploy 5,000 Collaborative Warehouse Robots in North America and Europe
Intelligent automation improves worker productivity and speeds distribution GREENWICH, Conn. — October 3, 2018 —XPO Logistics, Inc. (NYSE: XPO), a leading global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, today announced p... -
And They Call It Puppy Love…
For the past seven months our house had been exceptionally quiet – it was almost like the proverbial tale of “not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” The silence was almost deafening. There was no barking during the day at the door to...