Blog posts by Peter DeHaan, many of which are in his book Woodpecker Wars.
Celebrating March 17 What do you think about Saint Patrick’s Day? Though most view it as a secular holiday, the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day has a religious origin. This has been lost over time, with his work and accomplishments having been long forgotten by most people. After embarking on your favorite Saint Patrick’s Day […]
What Changes Do You Plan to Make? Happy New Year! From my family to yours, I hope that you have a safe, healthy, and prosperous year. The new year is a time when many people make New Year’s resolutions. Common ones include losing weight, saving money, going back to school, finding a better job, improving or […]
Remembering Those Who Gave Their Lives This Monday will be Memorial Day in the USA. It is a national holiday set aside in memory of military personnel who died while serving their country. As such it should be a solemn day of remembrance, attending parades and visiting the graves of loved ones. Memorial Day is […]
Let’s play word association. I say “St Patrick” and you might say “March 17,” “shamrock” (three leaf clovers), “Ireland,” “leprechaun,” or “green beverages.” To be cute, you might even answer with an Irish brogue. Just like Christmas and Easter, St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration of religious origin, of which the original meaning has been […]
I remember years ago after I prepared my house to be painted. One of the tasks was to remove the street numbers from the house, allowing for both home and numbers to be easily painted. The street numbers were above the garage door and easily viewable from the street. They weren’t always there, however. Initially, they were […]
Twelve years ago, I made an effort to cancel the delivery of a free weekly newspaper that I have been receiving for years—and never read. It turned out to be an easy thing to do and they happily took my cancellation. The delivery of that paper immediately stopped—until I installed my new mailbox! I understood […]
Candy and I have two children; she reminds me that she always wanted four. Years ago, her wish had come true. No, we were not expecting—get that thought out of your mind right now. And we were not adopting, either. We were doing this the easy way: our kids were getting married! Laura and Chris […]
Like other holidays with historical religious meaning, Easter has been significantly skewed by both custom and commercialization. Over time, the risen savior has been superseded by bunnies and eggs (reportedly symbols of fertility). Notwithstanding, Easter egg hunts and chocolate candies of all variations are delightful traditions—as long as the true focus of Easter is retained. […]
Whenever I see a robin, I become gleefully excited—really, I do! No, I am not particularly a bird lover, but I am quite affectionate for a new season, when spring has sprung. The connection is that returning robins (which are a migratory fowl) mark that spring is right around the corner and warmer weather will […]
Several years ago, Chris, our soon to be in son-in-law (at that time), was quietly amused by many of the things that he witnessed in our home. A prime source for his merriment was our flexible usage of the word “box.” In our vernacular, box can be virtually any device that is electronic in nature: […]