By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below.     So, I'm thinking of giving dirt for Christmas. Mind you, this isn't just any dirt, it's "Mound Dirt" that comes along with a "Mariano Rivera Signed Photo With Authentic Uniform," available from the New York Times Store, a gift "Just for Him" for the holidays. Apparently, Mariano Rivera is a baseball player, a "closer" [...]

By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below.     [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"] Casey unhappily wearing her diaper. This morning, as usual, I found myself crouching beside my bed, trying to extricate my old, cranky dog from her sleeping hideout beneath it [...]

By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below.   Baby, it's cold outside. At least, it's getting there, a few very chilly days mere harbingers of things to come as another winter descends. I dread winter, for all of the obvious reasons--the cold, the dark, the snow, (did I mention the cold?), and, worst of all, the heating bills. As a big fan of [...]