By Carol Stiffler Tom Hoogterp was a gift. He showed me that simple words can be profound, that looks are certainly deceiving, and that a caring community can exist despite differences of opinion. He was an unassuming man in bib overalls with the mind and voice of a...
By Bill Diem Libraries are the original think tanks, said Forrest Alogna, the chairman of the board for the American Library in Paris at its annual gala last week. In antiquity, collections of books attracted scholars who studied them and came up with new thoughts....
By Bill Diem Last weekend we were invited to see our friends’ new house in a country village, about an hour’s drive from Paris. Philippe barbecued chicken, lamb chops, and sausage to go with the roast potatoes and vegetables he had prepared, and nine of us sat around...
By Bill Diem In France, towns often have a day when everyone is invited to empty their attic and sell the stuff. It’s like a multi-multi family garage sale, but junk dealers and antique dealers are invited to set up too, as well as the odd food stand. If you go to...
By Carol Stiffler When the U.S. Census Bureau released figures for the 2020 census, it indicated Luce County had lost 19.5% of its residents in the past 10 years. And Michigan believed it. I’m in need of confirmation from census officials – and I have requested...
By Bill Diem Our short summer on the lake was dominated by post-Covid conversations. We didn’t always talk about Covid, but we talked. We had not seen our Michigan friends and family face-to-face for two years, as our 2020 summer was cancelled. So we talked. First it...
