Lifestyles category, Page 213
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg hosts one-woman ‘They Call Me Q’ show
The University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg will present “They Call Me Q,”a one-woman show written, performed, and co-produced by Qurrat Ann Kadwani, at 8 p.m. Jan. 24 in Ferguson Theater on the Hempfield campus. The event is free and open to the public. “They Call Me Q” is the story...
Add creamy avocado to that next egg salad sammy
This avocado and egg salad is one of my favorite homemade lunches because it’s healthy, tastes great and uses Greek yogurt instead of mayo. Tuna salads and egg salads are often passed off as healthy, but they’re so loaded with fatty mayo that you might as well have opted for...
Girlfriend doesn’t want biological kids
Hi, Carolyn: My girlfriend of three years does not want biological kids, whereas to me it’s very important. She thinks I’m naive and don’t understand how completely life-altering and difficult childbearing and child-rearing are. I feel I understand all that, and understand the greater biological burden on her, but it’s...
North Hills restaurant Willow transitioning to events center
Willow, an events center and restaurant at 634 Camp Horne Road in Pittsburgh’s North Hills, is transitioning to a full-time events center. Daily restaurant service concluded on Jan. 19. This focus allows Willow to host new and different events on its recently renovated first floor, representatives say. Flexible catering options...
Watershed group plans trip to view bald eagles near Saltsburg
The Loyalhanna Watershed Association is sponsoring a Feb. 6 trip to Loyalhanna Dam, near Saltsburg, to learn about and view bald eagles. Bald eagles are known to frequent the dam outflow in mid-winter. More than 20 of the birds of prey were found congregating there at a given time two...
9 brains, 3 hearts: Some wild facts about octopuses
Mythology and superstition have portrayed octopuses as alien beings or evil creatures dwelling in the terrifying dark depths of oceans. Little wonder, considering they are a bit unusual. The giant Pacific octopus has three hearts, nine brains and blue blood, making reality stranger than fiction. Things to know about the...
New Oakmont Bakery promises more great food, expanded service
Loyal customers of Oakmont Bakery can almost smell the freshly baked bread, bagels and rolls and taste the buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache as they drive past the soon-to-open facility just off the Hulton Bridge. The new building, located about a half-mile from the bakery’s current location on Allegheny Avenue...
Commuter’s ‘delay scarf’ bought by German train company
BERLIN — Germany’s biggest rail company, under fire for its unpunctual service, is trying to mollify one disgruntled commuter by buying her “delay scarf.” Deutsche Bahn, which on Thursday announced plans to hire 22,000 more staff, bought the hand-made scarf in an online auction for 7,550 euros ($8,600). The money...
Parents need to get on the same page to address daughter’s meltdowns
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My usually calm daughter, 6, has recently started melting down every time something doesn’t go her way — big or small. My spouse and I can’t figure out the best way to handle it. He says I’m too easy on her because...
Armed with affection, octogenarian is an ‘octopus whisperer’
BOSTON — Wilson Menashi palmed a squid in his left hand and extended his arm into an aquarium tank, watching as a giant Pacific octopus stretched out arms to greet him like a friend. Freya latched some of her 2,240 suction cups onto Menashi’s arm, using their powers of taste...
Out & About: Portrait artist dishes on clients at SAMA luncheon
Portrait artist Lisa Bane shared a little gossip about her clients during the Jan. 17 Lunch a l’Art program at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Ligonier Valley. It seems that some of them aren’t opposed to a touch-up. “They’ll say, ‘Can you take off 10 pounds?’ or ‘Can...
It’s smoking: Ribs, chicken, pulled pork and brisket on menu at Oakmont’s Burk’s BBQ
When Kevin Burkardt was 2 years old, he pushed a chair up to the stove in his grandmother’s house in an attempt to make bacon and eggs for breakfast. When he was in seventh grade, his mother, Meg Burkart, came home from work one day and saw her son and...
Thoughtful shopping habits fight disorganization, clutter
No matter the topic of my articles, readers will invariably comment, “Just tell people to buy less stuff.” And although I couldn’t agree more that consumption contributes to clutter and disorganization, I’m also aware that telling someone to just stop shopping is not a realistic solution. A dietitian advises clients...
Kiddy lit: Early reading programs give learning a boostVideo
A group of toddlers gathered with parents and grandparents on Jan. 14 in Adams Memorial Library in Latrobe for a session of the library’s “Wee Read” early literacy program. It was a little like herding cats for children’s director Karen Herc until she captured their attention with a round-robin activity...
Out & About: Guest bartender event goes to the dogs … and cats
You don’t expect to be greeted by a dog when you go to J. Corks, but Jan. 17 was a special occasion at the upscale Greensburg eatery. It was guest bartender night to benefit the Humane Society of Westmoreland County, and the canine concierge was Mickey, an enthusiastic black-and-white pup...
College student defies his mother’s ban on football
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My son is a wonderful young man, but there was one thing we butted heads on all four years of high school: He wanted to play football, and I wouldn’t let him. Well, he just informed me that he plans to play...
Husband tells daughters of his desire to cheat before telling his wife
Adapted from a recent online discussion. Dear Carolyn: My husband recently told me he had fallen for another woman. I was stunned, but even more when he said he had informed my daughters of his desires before he spoke to me. Both daughters stood up to him, he and I...
Wife second-guesses marriage after trouble conceiving children
Dear Carolyn: I got married two years ago to a wonderful woman. We are in our mid-30s and decided to wait one year before trying to have kids. We waited the year and started trying, but despite neither of us having any obvious medical issues, we’ve been unable to conceive....
Disappointed with adult life
Dear Carolyn: Is being an adult just the process of becoming more accepting of disappointment in life? I’m in my 30s and awakening to the fact that nothing in the life I have spent a decade building — relationships, career, skills, hobbies, home — is fulfilling to me at all....
Man can’t connect with wife now that kids are grown and gone
Dear Carolyn: After 30 years of marriage, my wife and I have come to the realization that we have nothing in common. It hasn’t always been this way. Even with our cultural differences — my wife emigrated from Central America at 20; I’m third-generation Japanese American — there was an...
Chef’s recipes put hearty meals on your table
Nanny’s Famous Orange Cookies INGREDIENTS 1 cup shortening 1 teaspoon salt 11⁄2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 cup milk 4 cups flour Juice and rind of 1 orange DIRECTIONS Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs, milk, orange juice and rind. Mix...
In the dark and cold, these dishes warm body and soulVideo
Soon enough (we hope), we will be firing up the grill and covering our dinner plates with colorful salads, ears of corn and refreshing fruit salads. But for now, while the wind howls, the sky turns dark early and temperatures plummet, it’s hearty, filling food we order or prepare at...
Grandparents’ options are limited when good advice is ignored
Q: We have 10 grandchildren, spread among three of our kids. They all live within an hour’s drive, so we see them often. We want to be involved in their lives and to be good influences. Our problem is with the parents. None of them are receptive to any advice...
White-flowering shrubs add understated drama to the garden
White gardens, including the most famous example at Sissinghurst Castle in England, are dramatic in the most understated of ways. A collection of plants with green and gray foliage that produce only white blooms, white gardens are one of the most elegant ways to combine plants. While your own backyard...
Celebrate film buffs’ favorite snack on National Popcorn Day
A snack that’s been around for hundreds of years clearly has staying power, and should have its own day, right? Welcome to National Popcorn Day, celebrated annually on Jan. 19, says the Popcorn Board. What was once — and still is — transformed into garlands to decorate a Christmas tree,...
