Like so many families across America, mine has been chafing under the impact of the lingering (and lingering… and lingering…) economic recession. Making do with less has quickly and effectively become a way of life – hey, we had no choice – but the necessary attitude adjustment – always a choice – has been a little slow to catch up.

The good news is this: We’re getting there. And summer’s making it easier. ‘Tis the season for simple pleasures, and I’m beginning to think the simpler they get, the better.

As editor, I’ve received a lot of comments about Lowcountry Weekly over the years – mostly good, occasionally otherwise. In the “good” category: People tell me they love our design, enjoy our photography, find our ads tasteful and attractive, swear by our maps, can’t live without our “What’s Happening” calendar, and so on and so forth. In the “otherwise” category? Well, let’s just say there are lots of armchair proofreaders out there. If I had the budget, I’d love to hire one of them. But as this is not the case, I must rely on your mercy and forbearance. Typos happen. And believe me – it hurts me more than it hurts you.

I treated water for a long time.  It was my career for over twenty-five years.  I began treating water in Savannah, Georgia working for Calgon Corporation.  Even though people confused Calgon with the Culligan Man or the woman in the bathtub, her hair pinned up in a chignon as she dripped bubbles and pleaded with Calgon to take her away from the exhaustion of her everyday life, neither was a true portrayal of what I did for a living.  I treated industrial and municipal water with chemicals, and not the kind you put in your water softener or bathtub.