Voices

Today I needed to cut down a few small to medium size trees near the playground of my son’s school. I promised someone at the school I’d bring a chainsaw and take care of it. The chainsaw wouldn’t start. I did everything I could to get it going...

Very recently I had one of those days.  You know those days. Someone had an immediate and urgent need that picked at the goals of the day.  At the end of the day I made a silly mistake any good IT person would get frustrated by, even though...

Picture this: it’s a sunny Saturday morning in September and you made your way to downtown Valparaiso for the annual Popcorn Festival. You’re sitting along the street, surrounded by an energetic crowd, watching each of the floats pass with...

THIS MONTH, JUDY WILLIAMSON OF HERITAGE AND ARCHIVES BEGINS A SERIES TO HELP RIPPLES READERS GET TO KNOW THE PHJC SISTERS. In my own understanding of myself, I was always a “simple peasant girl”, and from my parents I somehow understood that...

Let's start our day by checking out the weather and from the portico. Another lovely, sunny morning. We welcome it in the spirit with Elsa  Litmann, who has already sung her morning hymn of welcome to this day. We wonder what new things she’ll...

Photo credits: Nicci Marie (left), Dave Malecki (right) Much like actress Angelina Jolie, Environmental Services coworker Janet Bone is so beautiful, it’s impossible to look away. But she’s more than a pretty face. She’s an ambitious,...

I was driving north in my super thirsty pickup truck, mountain bike in the bed, when my heart jumped. A Speedway billboard showed gas for $4.57 a gallon, and I needed almost a full tank! What a deal. Coming back to my senses, reality reasserted...

I will not pretend I was always interested or aware of topics of money, as a 51-year-old child of the Region, however, I have some very distinct economic memories from my childhood involving the time period from the late 1970s to the mid 80s. I would...

I’ve been helping a former colleague with a problem and it’s had me thinking about my oldest son. So, Silvia (what we’ll choose to call her) is dealing with a workplace bully. Silvia has told me many stories about the bully, the wrongs...

If you’ve been reading my column for a while, then you probably know that I spent considerable time in my younger years traveling through wilderness areas in North America. My favorite regions are the upper Midwest (Boundary Waters, Isle Royale,...