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America Needs Westerns Mike Torreano My latest western, A Score to Settle, was released last year by The Wild Rose Press. It’s set in 1870 New Mexico Territory and unfolds on the notorious Goodnight-Loving cattle trail. My two western mysteries, The Reckoning, and The Renewal, are set about the same timeframe in Colorado. So, are…

The Remodeling Corner

Janet Cook What are the current kitchen remodeling design trends? Houzz, an online home improvement resource, did a 2021 survey of 75,470 users to find out if they had home renovation plans. Forty-eight percent of them were in the process of planning or remodeling their U.S. home. They found that since they are spending more time…

Spotlight On Advertiser: If You Had a Plumbing Emergency in the Middle of the Night, Who Would You Call?

David Taylor What plumbing company would actually answer their phone in the middle of the night? Howard Family Plumbing does. The most important customer service a plumber can provide is when a plumbing catastrophe strikes. Especially at an inconvenient time of day, or night! Customer service is what Howard Family Plumbing prides their company on.…

Some U.S. Navy History

Prior to the American Revolution, the colonies had no naval forces, but did have a large maritime population and many merchant vessels employed in domestic and foreign trade. That merchant service was familiar not only with the sea, but also with warfare. On Oct. 13, 1775, the Continental Congress authorized the first Navy. On Dec.…

In Passing

Thomas Atkins Men like Thomas (Tom) Atkins are one in a million. He was born on Dec. 27, 1936, in Clear Lake, Iowa. Tom didn’t just live life—he embraced it. He and his brother Dick enjoyed an active and happy childhood. As a young athlete, he played and excelled in several sports, including baseball, football,…

Word of the Month: Quincunx

David Zapatka While reading The Labours of Hercules, by Alice A. Bailey, in my book-reading group, I ran across the familiar word “quincunx” and had to reach back in my memory to recall where I had been exposed to this word before. Quincunx noun quin·​cunx | ˈkwin-ˌkəŋ(k)s 1. an arrangement of five objects with four at…

Joyful Downsizing: Organizing the Laundry Room

Kim Kubsch “Organizing Your Laundry Room” is 16th in a series of articles featuring techniques for decluttering your home—one room at a time. How much attention or love do you give your laundry room? While we really don’t spend a huge amount of time there, we do use it several times per week, so it…