Something happened to us this past month that has me fuming, partly at myself. In March of 2010, we got a new water heater, replacing one that had to have been pushing 50 years old. All told, the experience cost about $750, but it was time, so we pulled the trigger. Late last fall, our water started smelling really foul, […]

EclectaLadies and EclectaGentlemen! Announcing our latest project: THE SAVAGE FEAST! As most of you probably know from reading Eclectablog, I am married to one of the most talented photographers in the country, Anne Savage. You also probably know that the two of us have a passion for food. Gardening. Local foods. Organic foods. Cooking. Food preservation. It’s all a major […]

This Hara. She is just waking up from her late mid-morning nap and preparing for her noontime nap. A little later: early mid-afternoon nap, late mid-afternoon nap, dinnertime nap, early mid-evening nap, late mid-evening nap, early late-evening nap, late late-evening nap and then it will be time for bed. It’s a VERY exhausting lifestyle. BREAKING UPDATE!!! – The noontime nap […]

This is Kona. 90% blind from diabetes. Mostly deaf. But she still enjoys a good nap. Kona is solid evidence that not everything about getting old sucks. This little dog has a lot to teach me about life, I think. I’m just sayin’…

Just chillin’ with my crew, listenin’ to some Radio Paradise, readin’ and drinkin’ a High Seas IPA. Did St. Francis like IPAs? I’m just askin’…

My wife and I were fortunate enough to attend President Obama’s inauguration two years ago today. Her photomosaic poster of Barack Obama, “Out of Many, We Are One” that appeared in TIME magazine had sold well and was being given out as a gift at the Michigan Ball held at the Museum of American Heritage. We also miraculously got tickets […]

I love making bread and buy whole wheat flour in 40 pound bags. Unless I get too busy, I make all the bread we eat in our house. Our favorite is whole wheat pita bread which is actually FUN to make! You roll out the loaves into what look like little mini pizza doughs. They go into the oven onto […]

I’m usually not one for New Year’s resolutions but a diary last week on Daily Kos got me thinking. The diarist asked us to consider our political goals for 2011 in the following categories: Personal Family Financial State Political National Political Policy So, here are mine. Feel free to share yours in the comments. Personal: Write a book (which I […]

This is a repost. “Two North” is a story about one Christmas when my mom was spending time on the psychiatric ward of our town’s hospital after trying to commit suicide to escape a physically-abusive husband. I was thirteen. It was a cataclysmic event in our lives but it brought us together into a two-person tribe like no other event […]

Hurry up and finish your breakfast, we have to meet my sister for lunch. – Mrs. E. I’m just sayin’…

Mrs. E and I have road tripped down to St. Louis, MO to visit her family for the holidays so blogging will be light for the next few days. Drinking, however, will not. This morning we woke up to snowfall which is rather unusual for St. Louis so we’re going to enjoy a nice, white Christmas in the Lou. A […]