A New Page in My Passionate Affair with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Last week, I attended a town hall meeting organized by the Newspaper Guild of Pittsburgh. It was invigorating, but I had to work through some stuff to step out of my skin and into my role as a supporter. As I headed out the door to the meeting, imposter syndrome wrapped me in familiar tendrils. […]

2024 Political Q&A with Jay Costa: What You Need to Know About This Incumbent Candidate for PA Senate District 43

It’s my hope that Dems will control the Senate when we move into 2025, and then we can get to work on the hundreds of bills that the House sent us this session and the Governor promised he would sign. Early on, we’d pass LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination, an increase in the minimum wage, measures to prevent […]

17 Reasons to Stop By the (back)YardSale on Saturday

Honor one year of crowdfunding to help me by donating $5 to another crowdfund.

Today, I ask you to donate $5 to another crowdfund, one of your choice.  It was  one year ago that this GoFundMe crowdfund launched. It was a Saturday morning. My sleep was fitful. Waves of desperation washed over me because I could not afford a lawyer and I had no  money to even buy shoes […]

POSTPONED (back) Yard Sale Reschedule to Saturday September 14, 10-12. Why Brawl in the Backyard When You Can Shop?

backyard brawl

Still Seeks Donations of Household Goods and Pet Items The (back)Yard Sale is now unofficially tied to one of college football’s most famous rivalry – Pitt v WVU in what’s known as the Backyard Brawl. Both take place on Saturday, September 14, 2024. The yard sale is 10-12, leaving plenty of time to tailgate for […]

Did You Know That Our (back)Yard Sale Needs Volunteers Thurs-Sat?

Volunteer Opportunities to Help Animals

Urgent, Urgent, Urgent. We’ve only had one volunteer and that’s not going to be enough to pull this off. Items Needed Please help.

Countdown to the #BackYardSale: We Need Hand and Garden Tools

What to donate to help cats

Today’s suggestion of items to donate to (back)YardSale to benefit #PghCatFolx … hand and garden tools. Do you have extra pairs of scissors? Multiple hammers and screwdrivers? A collapsible snow shovel? Zip ties from that 2015 project? Flashlights? Partial packs of batteries? Tool bags? Carabiners? Swiss Army knife? All these and more can make an […]

What is Pittsburgh Theater in the Fall 2024 Season?

Pittsburgh theater companies

Theater season is here. I did my best to round up the ’24’ part of the 24/25 season. I grew up without any theater as did most working class Gen X kids. It breaks my heart how many of my friends have never been to a play. Musicals can be great, but anyone who enjoys […]

Countdown to the #BackYardSale: We Need Towels, Sheets, and Blankets

donations for homeless cats

We are counting down to Saturday, September 7 when we unveil the #BackYardSale in my backyard. This is a benefit for the #PghCatFolx projects. Today, we are asking for linens: towels, sheets, and blankets. That sort of thing. Any style, any size. Washcloths are great. These items swaddle kittens into ‘purritos’ to get meds and […]

(back)YardSale to benefit #PghCatFolx on Sat September 7, 2024

BackYardSale Cats Northside Manchester