Life As We Know It with Tom Walton

The Girl Scouts’ morality train might have jumped the tracks if hugging is now a bad idea.

Why in the world would anybody willingly get their body pierced by a sharp object? I don’t get the fascination with tattoos.

Vending machines have come a long way from the old automats in New York City’s Times Square.

A reunion of former co-workers reminded us all of the special bonds that are formed in the workplace.

When the shoeboxes in our closets are filled with photographs, cleaning out the closet can take a lot longer than it should.

Five national parks in five days. That was the challenge I laid out for myself.

The sport of curling is big in Canada. Here in the U.S., not so much. Some Americans call it “shuffleboard on ice.”

One of life’s little ordeals: the process of buying a new car. Your choice: bells and whistles or simple transportation from Point A to Point B.

Going to the movies is no fun when there are no movies worth seeing.

The strange things I wonder about surprise even me occasionally. For example, it surprises me every time I get a piece of snail mail and the postage stamp has not been cancelled. What’s up with that?

A few years ago I shared the witticisms displayed by a service station in Seattle, Wash., on its outdoor sign. I wondered if the clever folks who run the place, and the equally clever customers who keep nominating pithy sayings of their own, are still at it. Turns out, they are.

Several weeks ago we had some fun sharing news reports that originally appeared in American newspapers more than a hundred years or so ago. Folks indicated that they enjoyed those. So we’ve dug up some more.

By actual count, I own seven cameras. As far as I know every one of them still works.

Here's the good news: texting while driving is becoming a primary offense in Toledo. The bad news: it won’t make much difference.

We have all heard the expression “let the buyer beware.” In the original Latin, it was “caveat emptor,” which until recently I thought meant “give me your wallet,” as in “empty your pockets.” I was reminded recently that a buyer who is NOT wary can sometimes fall victim to a scam, or if not a scam, at least a misrepresentation.

Fifty two years ago today, I married the love of my life. Earlier this year I lost her. I don’t know how many more August 28s I have left, but I do know that this date on the calendar will never be the same.

Today I come before you with an essay certain to arouse your senses and send you into your evening full of good cheer. I think it should be obvious that I am speaking of -- are you ready for this? -- the comma.

Summer is going full blast, and you know what that means. Barbecue grills. Family vacations. Cedar Point. Algae blooms.

Once a year folks in Bowling Green head over to their favorite ice cream shop to show a little "sundae kind of love." Their reward: a purple t-shirt, some free ice cream, and the warm feeling that comes from knowing they've smacked cancer in its ugly face.

We're deep into the county fair season in Ohio, one of my favorite times of the year because of all the nostalgic entertainment it provides.

I’ve always been fascinated by history, especially as recorded in America’s newspapers long, long ago.

Maybe you've wondered how certain popular phrases came to be popular.

How and why did that expression become the benchmark against which we measure greatness?

Another baseball season is at the halfway point, and if ever we needed a reminder of saner times, it is now.

Most days the mailbox at my house yields a mix of mail that probably looks a lot like yours.