Friday Afternoon Archives - Page 4 of 56

Scoooore!

January 2, 2026/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

With all the sports on TV over the past month, I’m really enjoying one thing – the celebrations. Seems like every sport has created its way to celebrate. And once it’s set, the kids come up with something new. If you’ve ever played, there’s nothing like celebrating a win (you should see my Euchre shuffle) – and we do it all the time here at KHT – when one of our engineers “nails it”, or one of our gang on the floor figures out a way to do it better. A nod, smile, or traditional “pat on the back” is good, but it’s more fun when we go the extra mile. I got a big kick out of the Mariners handing the home run hitters a giant gold trident and the Blue Jays dug out jacket. From college helmet awards to the hockey bench fist bumps, it’s just fun. I did some internet searching to find some of the traditions we’ve all come to enjoy and got a kick out of the ones I remember as a kid. What started as a gentleman’s handshake “back in the day” to tearing jerseys, back flips, and fist bumps, it’s all a blast. I have to admit, in football I’m still partial to a quick kneel – sign of the cross and tossing the ball to the ref does it for me! ENJOY!

AAAAAhhhhhh

December 26, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

There’s something special about the week between Christmas and New Year’s. Sure, it triggers all of those “I gotta get this done before the new year” thoughts, but it also has a bit of a relaxing exhale to it – kind of a quiet rhythm all its own. Around here, winter begins to settle in, the fireplace gets used a lot more, and we just sort of look forward to chill. I thought about it to see what I’d plan, and suggest, rather than rushing into resolutions (I have just a few this year!) I’d take some time to reflect and enjoy. Searching the web to see if others do the same, I stumbled on some cool traditions from other countries and made up a list of my own. I hope you, too, can think of this week as your reset window – a quiet space to wrap up loose ends, enjoy small pleasures, connect with those we missed the past few weeks, and get our mind and heart ready for a fresh start. Enjoy the tips!

Merry Christmas!

December 25, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

Wishing you and your family a Christmas filled with peace, joy, and the quiet blessings that matter most. May this season remind us of the goodness around us and the hope we carry into a new year. Thank you for letting KHT be a part of your success.

Sneak a Kiss

December 19, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

I just love the holidays and holiday traditions. For me, they never get tired – all the fun, music, nostalgia, and decorations just add to the holidays. So, after taking down the Halloween decorations and putting away the Thanksgiving decorations, it’s now time to be sure we decorate for Christmas in my house. Jackie does a wonderful job, mixing in things we’ve inherited from the family with things of our own, to one day pass along to the kids and grandkids. And one of my favorites is to hang some mistletoe in the doorway, with hopes of stealing a kiss here or there again and again from Jackie! I wanted to learn more about where mistletoe comes from, and the history behind it, and of course, I turned to the internet. I hope you enjoy the info and make mistletoe a tradition in your home, too. ENJOY!

Sweet Apple

December 12, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

For those of you who are “in the market”, you know how fun it’s been to be on the right side of investment picks. As the tech industries continue to amaze us, I noticed that on this day in 1980, Apple Computer went public at $22 a share, raising more than $100 million in what was, at the time, the largest IPO since Ford Motor Company in 1956. The initial investors had no idea what was to come, but on “day one,” they instantly created hundreds of millionaires and marked the beginning of one of the most remarkable corporate journeys in modern history (split-adjusted price was about .10/share – worth about $60K today – WOW!) Researching and reading about the company, like many entrepreneur journeys, Apple’s rise was never a straight climb. Behind the amazing breakthrough products lies a story of perseverance through failure, reinvention in the face of near collapse, and an unyielding drive to create something better… not just for consumers, but for the world. It wasn’t just money or luck that got them going and growing – it was ingenuity. Founder Steve Jobs saw potential where others saw a toy, and Steve Wozniak was simply a genius, engineering functionality out of chaos. I thought it would be fun to go back in history and see the “little things” that happened during the first 10 years as they were forming the company. Here’s what I pulled together from the early days. I left many of the “links” for you to dive deeper. ENJOY!

Calm in the Chaos

December 5, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

Now that we’re past Thanksgiving (I’m still feeling thankful AND stuffed!), it’s easy to sense the excitement and the pressure building over the next few weeks. Talking with Jackie, and looking at my work calendar through the end of the year, I’m thinking “there’s so much to do, so many people to see, and so many little details to manage”. It’s that holiday crunch time we all slide into – trying to get everything done and wanting to make everything special for the people (and customers) we love. Experts say this can be a tough time of year, which can leave us feeling more exhausted than joyful. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The good news is, with a few intentional choices, we can get our work done and chores completed while bringing more peace and joy back into the season (and actually enjoy it, too). Here’s a bit about stress, and some really great tips on how to find time to relax a bit and reduce the pressure. Remember, stress can sometimes be a state of mind (I’ve started some of these already and feel better!) RELAX and Enjoy!

Spicy Goodness

November 28, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

When the air turns crisp and the lights start twinkling around town, it’s a sign that the holidays are a comin’. That means rich soups, yummy apps, and mouth-watering pies and other desserts. And for beer lovers, that includes the long-awaited return of Christmas Ale. Spicy, malty, and just a little bit magical, these winter brews have become as much a holiday tradition as gingerbread or mistletoe. While spicy beverages have been around for centuries, there’s something special about Christmas Ale, especially from our neighbors and friends at Great Lakes Brewery here in beautiful Cleveland. But where did they come from, and why do they hold such a special place in our hearts (and pint glasses)? Let’s pour (get it?) into the history, the modern trends, and some top picks for your own Christmas cheer. Sip and Enjoy!

Magie’s Game

November 21, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

As we get closer to the holidays, and the fun gift giving, (I love giving gifts, and don’t mind receiving as well!!), I’m always on the prowl for new family games. (If you have any suggestions, please email me @ skowalski@khtheat.com). Hitting the “game” aisle, it’s not uncommon to see so many of the classics – Stratego, Clue, Chutes and Ladders, Uno, Trouble, and of course, Monopoly. For me, Monopoly never gets old – it’s easy to play, fun to strategize a plan, and usually winds up with one person winning most of the money. The grandkids are coming of age to play, and I can’t wait to take their $$- (HA!) After a 10-year hiatus, McDonald’s just brought back their fast-food Monopoly game – of course, with new twists, online registration, instant wins, posts, scans, Facebook chatter, and more. I’ve always associated Monopoly with The Parker Brothers, who went on to really dominate games – they actually offer over 1800 different games. Doing research, I found out the real originator of the Monopoly game was Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie, who designed her original board game as a critique, not a tribute, to capitalism. Quite a character, she held some contemporary views in her time, but her gaming story is lost a bit to history. I went digging a bit and found the story behind the game. Enjoy!

Pickle Day

November 14, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

One of the most fun, a bit quirky, but oh so good snacks out there are – pickles. Crispy, crunchy, tangy, salty, dilly, yummy, and sometimes sweet, whole, spears, or chips, pickles are one of those foods most of us love… (you either can’t get enough of them… or you politely slide them off your sandwich dish onto someone else’s plate). Now of course I have multiple “favorites” Bread and Butter Pickles – both regular and zesty which my grandson calls Grandpa’s SPICY pickles and those good old fashioned barrel pickles! But love them or not, pickles have been around for thousands of years, and today, November 14th, we can celebrate them in all their briny glory on National Pickle Day. Add a spear to a dog, and its heaven (plus tangy pickled relish). Small delights on a relish tray – I’m in. And getting one of those big guys out of a pickle barrel is wonderful. And how they get those pickles into a jar amazes me (talk about a PIA (pain in the @%$) Job!). To learn more about pickles, and NPDay I went “crunching” online to find some fun facts and trivia I think you’ll enjoy. And be sure, when you get home today, reach in the back of the fridge, open a jar of your favorites, and snack away. Enjoy! Read more

Salty Solutions

November 7, 2025/0 Comments/in Friday Afternoon /by Steve Kowalski

There are so many things that we take for granted that just seem to go nicely together – coffee and cream, peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, chips and dips, cheese and crackers, and of course, salt and pepper. Watching Jackie cook in the kitchen, I noticed how she measured some ingredients, but also added a “dash” of salt and pepper to the recipe. It got me wondering where the use of S&P came from. Being a salt-bath champion at KHT, I’ve come to know just how amazing salt baths are for our most trusted and critical products. The use of molten salt as a heating and quenching medium for steels, developed in England at the turn of the 20th century, is awesome. Now I could go on for hours – even days – telling you all of the ways that salt bath heat treating is incredible – wonderful! Just give me a call. If you’d like to know more about salt baths and heat treating, we are here to help. Ironically, one of the main chemical components in salt bath heat treating is Sodium Chloride (Common table salt!) Here’s some history about salt and pepper. Enjoy!