Online shopping has turned us into couch potatoes who buy more than we ever used to. Adding items to an imaginary cart and clicking, “Buy Now,” has sent us further into debt and taken the fun out of the shopping experience.

Before Amazon, there was Wal Mart, and before that there was Sears and lots of other chain stores. Many of which started as a catalog.

Catalogs used to be the way we shopped. It still is if you think about it. ...

Folks aren’t counting on each other like we were 50 years ago. Technology is the wedge that’s come between us.

Our parents didn’t worry about us much when we left the house. Everyone felt that if their kid got into a bind, someone would lend a hand.

And for the most part, that was true. I can remember deciding to go visit my aunt and uncle in the Dallas area. I told my mom my plans, threw a map in the glove ...