Christmas is the most action-packed time of the year. December is the only month that I’m permitted to handle real tools. True, the tool is only a handsaw. Even at Christmastime, I am forbidden power tools. My sweetie fears she’d lose too much decorating time driving me to the emergency ...

My ambition as an 8-year-old boy was to become a spy. The TV lineups in the 1960s brimmed with spy shows. My course of study included “Mission:Impossible,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” and “I Spy.” Unfortunately, my greatest inspirations were Maxwell Smart, Secret Agent 86 of ...

Somehow, Terry tricked me into going shopping with her. I’m sure a candy store was mentioned, but we never got to one. “Let me drive,” I said. “I know where the candy store’s at.” “The last time I let you drive, we ended up at the zoo.” I smiled. “Yeah. I know.” “We ...

I don’t know many Thanksgiving carols. For that blessing, anyone within listening distance can be grateful. Or maybe they wish I knew different turkey songs. Only one comes to mind, and it jiggles around my brain like a glob of cranberry sauce: “A turkey sat on the backyard fence / and ...

The big trend in houses is tiny. The smaller the home, the better. This is yet another reason why Terry and I won’t be turning trendy anytime soon. I’ve got too many books. I can imagine the scene if we tried to downsize to fit into a tiny home: “Seriously, I think it’s safe to toss ...

Editor’s note: The jolly ol’ elf is taking the week off. But he sent this Cole Classic first published Nov. 4, 2001, by a chubby carrier pigeon. I am not trying to disrupt any healthy habits in which otherwise normal Americans may be participating. I only offer this as a point worth ...

I’ve reached those awkward years — old enough to be showered with senior discounts but too young to retire. I qualified for AARP about a decade ago, but Medicare won’t look at me for another five years — possibly seven. And I hear that the customary retirement age could jump to 70 or ...

Ten years ago this month, two kids barely in their 40s (we were about to turn 50) stood before a congregation full of witnesses and said those famous matrimonial words: “Sure, why not?” No, no, no. Like I said, we were hitting the half-century mark. There was no time to waste on ...

“Think thin” is more than an old catchphrase. Researchers in Australia say dieters lose five times as much weight by visualizing themselves slender. That sounds a lot easier than huffing through crunches, puffing through laps and grunting refusals of seconds. This is mind over matter. And ...

I’m moving to Oregon. Or possibly Arizona. But I’ll bypass Louisiana and Oklahoma. I base my relocation plans on the vital “Top Halloween Candy by State” interactive map posted at CandyStore.com. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups rank No. 1 in Oregon, followed by M&M’s and candy ...

Other than husbandese, I do not speak a foreign language. (I hadn’t considered husbandese a foreign language until I saw the consternation that crossed my wife’s face whenever I tried to explain a simple concept — such as how my socks ended up next to cheese in the refrigerator.) I ...

Editor’s note: Cole, a known goof-off, is on vacation. From what, we’re not sure. But he claims he’ll come back with all sorts of fresh column ideas. We’ll see. Until then, enjoy this Cole Classic originally published May 14, 2006. I believe in ghosts. What else could explain how so ...

My whole career revolves around playing with words. Wordplay is a time-honored tradition honed by such smiths as William Shakespeare, P.J. Wodehouse, Lewis Carroll, A.A. Milne and Vince Rozmiarek. The first four of those guys are famous authors. That fifth one — Rozmiarek — is a volunteer ...

Ah, September, that fantastic month. And there are more reasons to celebrate than the average calendar tells you. For one, September is my birthday month, but the only calendar I’ve seen that written on is the one on my mom’s refrigerator. What else makes September great? Here’s a ...

As melting butter soaked into the warm softness, I gazed into my wife’s eyes and cooed, “These biscuits are marvelous.” “Rolls,” she said. “They’re dinner rolls.” “Mmbbglpleooomp,” I said as I chewed on either a biscuit or a roll or whatever. She pushed away from the ...

There’s an old, battered recipe box on my desk. It’s crammed with index cards, torn strips of newspaper and scraps of scribbled paper. These are odd thoughts I’ve scrawled in the middle of the night and silly stories that tickled my funny bone. When I’m running low on laughs, I rummage ...

I read the other day that people born from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s — today’s young adults — cannot fathom a world before the internet, cellphones and instant entertainment. They are Generation Z. Most likely, you will find them with their noses melded to a digital screen. I do ...

Today’s column was going to be brilliant. I laughed out loud at the silly thought that popped into my mind. I sprinted through the house to relay the hilarity to Terry. “Oh, there you are,” she said. “What was the date of your cousin’s wedding?” “It’s, uh...” I sighed and ...

Occasionally, someone asks me how I’ve managed to write a column every week for the last 25 years. Usually, that person is an insomniac hoping to be bored to sleep. “Panic,” I answer before he can drift off. “Panic and deadlines. And a good disaster.” It’s the deadline thing that ...

Octopuses — or possibly octopi — came from outer space. That’s the word from 33 scientists who postulated their octopus ponderings in the March issue of “Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology.” My wife, Terry, has another theory — octopuses are spiders that fell into the ...