Vinyl records just passed $1 billion in sales in 2025 and are now the leading physical music format This month we talk with Greg Allen,the owner of Animal Records, a vinyl store in downtown Evanston. He's spinning good vibes and building a community for the hordes of Gen Z’ers and Millenials,and even old folks, who are flocking  to Animal Records as part of a national trend among the young to jettison digital music for analog.  

Earth Day this year comes in the midst of an unprecedented attack on efforts to control pollution and deny climate change by America's national leadership.  This podcast recalls the exciting early days of enthusiasm by Americans for cleanup some 50 years ago. 

As we grow older we learn one very unhappy truth – old age is a series of take aways. People, places, memories, combinations of all three are gone. And so  we all march backwards to reclaim those hours, days, even minutes of happiness that have been so cruelly snatched from us by time and space.

For our annual St, Valentine's Day podcast, we offer a short story about a moment of unexpected  love in a turbulent religious time.

As 2026 gets underway, I think many people are reluctant to look back on 2025 with warm feelings. Good riddance . Putting all of those dark thoughts aside, I did want to go through an inventory of other things that I hope I will see less of in the coming year and look at a list of resolutions. Cliche, but important. 

I read small town newspapers to relax sometimes. This holiday season it didn't work out so well. Letters from a column on Families that Need Help caught my eye and brought some tears. I share some of them in this podcast. 

In our society, we are currently seriously fretting about the future of work, where A.I. artificial intelligence is going to take over our world and we are going to be out or work, impoverished and left to our own devices. I want to take some time in this podcast to walk us through how difficult this may be to come about by simply looking at the real world that surrounds us all

The Research for this podcast started with me dumping out a bowl that contains matchbooks from dozens of joints I have been to over the decades. The old matchbooks recall more innocent times, long, long ago when people went out to have fun.

Here's our take on three  communications strategies to help the hapless Democrats successfully  relate to the American public and win the 2026 Congressional Election

It's easy to be embarrassed about how much time you spend with your cell phone.  I am - sometimes. But  there are plenty of reasons why my "apology" here is really a defense. Listen on...

When I think back on life and look for lessons one that always stands out is that life is a series of subtractions – all the great people and places and events that came to you early on are seemingly subtracted year by year as you get older. The great old TV shows, the way people treated each other, the innocence of times past and most importantly the people who had such a great effect on your life… all slowsly fade….into shades of the past. 

No man is an island. Our lives are made up of communities. Membership gives us connection.  Communities are crucial and essential parts of our lives. 

One of the most recognized football coaches in Northern Illinois is walking off the field after  38 seasons with Notre Dame College Prep and 20 trips to the State Finals. Mike Hennessy  reflects on his amazing journey. 

About two out of every three households in the U.S. have a pet. From "Cat Ladies"  to Gen Z'ers to Empty Nesters, the urge to own a pet is stronger than ever. We take a look all the wonderful choices. 

Young love is going through some turbulent times these days, so for this St., Valentine's Day podcast, we shift our attention to ups and downs of older love.

In January, our thoughts turn to..... making it to another year. It's all about heath and those resolutions we're going to follows. Right?

Christmas for a child becomes the start of a journey we revisit and enrich year after year as our lives move forward. In this podcast we look at Christmas through the decades.

Yes, you can be happy at work. IF you work hard, work smart and enjoy the surroundings. Here's how.

Whether you believe it or not, you're pretty lucky Because of where and when you were born to begin with.  After that is when things start getting interesting.

Every day 120 thousand music tracks are uploaded to YouTube. in This podcast we showcase classic American pop tunes from many eras to show how music enhances poetry and tells a story. 

Those wonderful Mother Goose rhymes can create a life long love of poetry and rhyme.  We offer a crash course in appreciation of the poetic art. 

Here's an inside look at our blueberry farm in Michigan where farming is a lot more than an old guy riding a tractor. 

Isn’t it everybody’s dream…. to have a little place in the country to escape to? A place that you can go when you want to get out of Dodge?  A place where she can have a garden and the kids can run free and where he can take his dog for a hike in the woods?

 Here's one man's story.

We bring in an expert to talk about the changing culture of high school and college sports.  A 27 year veteran of high school coaching, Mike Corrado (my son, no less) gives us some insights and points to the kind of coach we  need more of  -  Ted Lasso!

If you look at her today, mostly on the TV screen, she is the epitome of American success – great looks, famous reputation, successful in all things.  But it wasn’t always that way.  The four years I spent with her were a time when things weren’t all that great. Her halcyon days seemed to be over, best looked at in the rear view mirror.  And yet my time with her was wonderful.  And it’s that era that I want to recall in today’s podcast.

If there is one thing that is always in abundant supply, it is advice. We highlight some of the ones that have been most enduring and meaningful over time. Some of them are maybe not what you want, but may well be what you need. 

The great thing about love is that it can be  given in so many ways - to  your family, to your friends, to strangers on the street, to the clerk at the store, to the tech person on the phone, to the person who opens the door for you, and even to  yourself. Some simple things to bring love to the world every day.

A kiss, a kick in the pants, a fast car, a year that lives in infamy, a winter week in the woods…. Each so different, each so unforgettable. No matter how old you are there are certain things that happen in your life that are no to be forgotten.

The stats are in for 2023:  our podcast is in 10 countries, our biggest fans are in Germany (?), our most popular one in 2023 was "50 Something" and our next one will be about keeping fit in the new year. 

There are no such things as self-made men or women,.  All along the road to success there were people helping us out. We salute them in this episode

Got some loose bucks  floating around in your wallet?  Here's your chance to become an "Angel Investor" with four mini-proposals for your consideration. You never know!

A trip out West is more than a change in geography. Especially when you're driving a car to your daughter in Seattle. Shiny belt buckles, strange places to rest and of course the World's largest corn palace are there to experience.

The subject of "where" is a pretty big one. It can refer to a specific spot on earth or somewhere in our memory, a page in a book, to a scene in a memory. As in, "We'll always have Paris."

In late summer, thousands of county fairs are held across the country, highlighting the work of farming and celebrating its life and culture. The Youth Fair in Van Buren County Michigan is typical. 

Advice to the lovelorn - married and un - never was as good as in the days when Dr. George Crane dispensed it via radio and newspaper columns.  He may be forgotten, but his sage advice remains.

Colleges these days seem to be turning into trade schools. Core courses, mostly  in the humanities, are being ditched in favor of courses that get you a job.  Is that really a good idea?

Memories from a long time ago still can persist vividly in our minds. We can remember and do remember people and events even from a half-century ago. That's a good thing.

Wherein  we continue to recall fun and not so much fun times aboard a variety of vessels that roam the seas.

Nobody said it better than the redoubtable Mr. Toad in that wonderful children's story, The Wind in the Willows when he said "There's none so much fun as messing around in boats," as we try to honor his wisdom with stories about sailing and other boat lore.

Often it's difficult to separate the thought of a place from the unique person who lived there. For instance, there was Carol, and West Farm.

For Valentines Day 2023 we submit for your enjoyment a short story about boy looking for chocolate who meets a  girl looking for connection. Hope you enjoy it.

With our world in a tech-crazy spin these days, we defend the premise of this podcast - that younger generations can learn from older ones, if everybody's willing to try.

There are those amazing times in your life when a burst of energy propels you to accomplish an amazing amount in a relatively short period of time.  At this early point in the year, it's good  time to reflect on them.

December actually starts in November, as we know, and just accelerates wildly until we end up on New Year's eve either being rowdy or watching other people have fun.

A red cap, a trip to upstate New York, starving for culture  and a tour of old work sites -  four different stories in one podcast. 

You can learn from books, from talking to people, but learning from failure in the school of hard knocks is also an important teacher.

This 1973 book couldn't be more relevant to today's young people facing climate change and global warning. Here's a quick glimpse as to how it impacted my life.

What is it about going out to eat?  The people, the place, the experience. Sometimes, the food may be the least important  part. Join us for a  tour of great eating experiences across the the country over the years.

Major league baseball ain't what it used to be. It's noisy, expensive and not so popular anymore. But baseball still can be  fun.

Spring 2022 - when we finally got rid of the masks and came out to smell the real world. Even with the guns of Kiev in the background. A trip Colorado validates newness and promise. Spring might hang you up but it also frees us to believe again.

Imagine going back to your high school decades later and finding it almost just like you left it. Could that possibly be?  In Niles, Illinois, Notre Dame College Prep is just like that.

There are certain markers that tell us that winter is fading away – snow turns into rain, Easter and Passover are on the calendar, crocuses  are starting to come up …. Neighbors start disappearing.  It’s a good chance they are on their way to warmer climes.  Like Florida.  When  you get the urge, here are some tips to make your Florida trip  really enjoyable.

We spend 90% of our time indoors!  It's a bad habit made worse by the screens that memorize us and also by the pandemic. Let's take a hike, let's sit on the porch, let's breath some fresh air.

Love goes well beyond sexual connection. To mark St. Valentines Day this year, we honor the kind of love that's hard work - carrying for people in the later stages of life and try to answer the question, "How do they keep going?"

Meet Frankie Corrado (my grandson). He's a junior at the University of Wyoming majoring in elementary education. He, like thousands of other college students survived a year  of Covid. How's he doing?

Being "creative" or "Making Art" are words that casually used today. Shouldn't we have a little more respect for this process and what comes from it?

Whatever happened to social dancing?  It was a great way for people to connect socially.  When you think about it, its the second best thing a man and woman can do together. 

Ah, Spring!  When a young city boy’s fancy turns to thoughts of…. Farming? But the girl's a farm escapee hiding in Chicago so  when Jake finds Lenore, aka Twinkle, sparks fly. The journey of discovery begins when he leaves the big city to grow blueberries in Michigan. Follow their journey to the land where nuts grow fruits. Kinda based on a true story, Blue Acres offers a humorous look at the making of a farmer. 

 Thirteen episodes  now available at https://blueacres.buzzsprout.com  or on Apple or your favorite podcast site

Are hobbies a thing of the past?  Today we call watching TV a diversion, a hobby. Is it really?
There are passive and active hobbies. We should probably be engaged in both, especially as we get older.  From quilting and gardening to sports and skills like woodworking we sure have lots of choices. Time to get off our butts and get going.

We can tell many of the stories of our lives through the cars we drive.  My experience with cars covers over 60 years and each car tells its own story

My bucket list leaks.  One goal goes in, another goes out.  Also, i've found that there are two kinds of lists - one is very specific like learn to play piano. Another is more general: spend more time with friends.

The big lesson I learned early on in teaching was students learn best when they learn by doing. It's still true.

It's easy to make a baby, but not so easy to raise one. We look at the joys and difficulties men face in their most important role.

What's it look like behind the scenes at your local farmer's market?  We do a semi-fictional deep dive into the lives of key players on this weekend excursion.

A travelogue through my career in journalism. It all started with a guy named 
Roger back in 1952 and launched me into a career that's lasted a lifetime.

Keats said that heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard are sweeter. Not when it comes to remembering our friends and family.  Here is the why and how of it all when it comes to speaking praise of those with us and not.

This is a pean to the great television being produced these days in Europe.  From cop shows to comedies, the wild variety and charm of Euro TV gives you a reason to watch TV again, if you can get past the subtitles. I have.

My bucket list has a leak in it!  That's because it occasionally changes or I reshuffle it.  Also, it's divided into specifics  like "learn to fly,"  "produce a musical" and broader goals like "Enjoy more time with friends,"  "Live to the fullest"  and "Get into heaven."

Since I was a young Tenderfoot scout, I have had a life long love affair with camping. As a result of Covid, people everywhere are "getting out of Dodge" to smell the scent of pine. You can see it in the stream of trailers along the interstate destined for driveways everywhere. 

Ok, you've got boxes and boxes of old photos, movies, tapes, news articles and heirloom chotzkies.  This episode ruminates on various ideas for transferring them to the next generation. It ain't easy.

In this inaugural episode, Frank Corrado introduces himself and reflects on why we should remember and celebrate those moments which have been highpointsin our lives. His list includes a simple birthday celebration, a college graduation, a tango dance and a theatrical production.