The Cozy Corner by Steve Nauman

When I was 13 years old, I had a mini cycle. I call it a mini cycle not a minibike because it had 5 speeds and a top speed of 55 mph! That cycle with those off-road tires, took me places exploring the abandoned dirt roads where no car or truck could go-because there were…

My great grandfather who was born in 1880, had a general store in the rolling hills of upstate New York. Then my grandfather bought that general store, and my father bought the store from him. I started working in that store when I was 7 years old, and even though the plan was for me…

When I turned 16 years old, I tested for and received my driver’s license. Then almost immediately my father had plans for me to drive his truck to Syracuse, NY at times-not just to give him a break, because he loved being in the city and dealing with all the different vendors, but mostly because…

Something used to start arriving in the mail on the day after Christmas. Now like everything else in our society, it’s sooner than ever-mid November is when they start showing up…That’s right, the spring seed and garden catalogs! Two of those catalogs go all the way back to my gardens as a teenager, so I’ve…

This weekend is the annual return to daylight savings time. As usual, some are talking about how they are going to be ‘messed up’ for days because of losing that hour of sleep. Some here in northern Indiana always seem to talk about wishing we could go back to never moving our clocks like we…

Something happens on about the third week of February here in northern Indiana every year. I have kept track of it for over 30 years and it has never missed. What is the event? It’s the return of the Red Winged Blackbird! Okay, so maybe you’re not a huge fan of spring, or love to…

Do you remember Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith TV Show? There were a number of times on the show where he would be yelling to another character “Nip It! Nip It! Nip It In The Bud!” Now, whether it’s flowers, vegetables or even trees, if you’ve ever had great plans for some type of…

Those years I spent growing up and working in my father’s general store taught me so much about people, business and how to enjoy life! It was a true country general store with a US Post Office in the back. There were individual mailboxes on the front side of the Post Office where people in…

Ever since I was about 5 years old, I’ve had an ongoing interest in growing things-vegetables, flowers and even trees. The first little tidbits of gardening knowledge came from paying attention to what my great-grandfather and both grandfathers had to say when they were planting or working in their gardens. Even my great-aunt taught me…

West Smyrna Baptist Church Smyrna, New York Families tend to develop traditions as to how they spend Christmas and surprisingly those patterns can remain for quite a number of years. Growing up in a large family, we had traditions at Christmas that many of us still talk about today. Perhaps your family has routines or…