While Patty Kimerer is on leave, we present this Classic Kimerer column originally published Nov. 9, 2003: Have you ever noticed how many things we say in everyday conversation that we truly do not mean? I was thinking about that after I received a telephone call meant for someone else. ...

While Patty Kimerer is on leave, we present this Classic Kimerer column originally published Aug. 24, 2003: I don’t know if you realize it, but rarely when the word “root” is included in a sentence or phrase is it in any way associated with something positive. Think about it. “The ...

While Patty Kimerer is on leave, we present this Classic Kimerer column originally published Oct. 2, 2005: I saw a commercial today that really scared me. It was an ad for Troll dolls. Remember Troll dolls? They’re the questionable-looking little figurines with the wild and wooly hair ...

Editor’s note: While Patty Kimerer is on leave, we present this Classic Kimerer column first published Sept. 16, 2001, five days after terrorists hijacked aircraft to attack America. Reflections on Sept. 11, 2001: One mother’s story I will never forget the day. It was April 19, 1995, and ...

Editor’s note: While Patty Kimerer takes a week off, we offer this back-to-school Classic Kimerer that first ran Sept. 4, 2005: OK, this is it. This is the week that my 5-year-old starts school — for real. No, not the part-time preschool that I finally got used to; after two years of ...

If I live to be 100, I will never understand (fill in the blank). How many times have we heard — or uttered — that phrase? Right. About a bazillion and a half, give or take. And I can’t help but notice that a majority of this contingent of concern falls under a certain category of ...