June 13th
Cedar chests are marvelous things—for many women in the past they were storage vehicles for dowries, waiting for that “someday” when the prince would come. And then after marriage they became repositories for special treasures of value perhaps really only understood by the chest’s owner. My mom had a cedar chest, and it was a […]
June 5th
There are a lot of topics I could write about—at least a few with authority. And there are some that I can at least raise an educated opinion on. And there are some that I can only voice empathetic support for, but lacking any real intrinsic understanding. The “Black Lives Matter” movement and the current […]
May 30th
Some of us grew up with the U.S. space program. While I was too young to know or care about the Russian launch of the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, I was old enough for the early 60s launch of the U.S. Mercury flights. I remember watching them on TV—with Walter Cronkite as our […]
May 28th
Today’s blog is the third in a series I never really planned to be a 3-part series–on transitions. I’ve written before about my decision to allow my certification as a Lactation Consultant to expire in 2013, and then again in 2017 when I decided to retire as a La Leche League Leader. And I’ve left […]
May 12th
May 12, 2019 Today marks the 36th Mother’s Day that I have been “eligible” to celebrate since the birth of my first child in 1983, and the 9th Mother’s Day that has come around since my own mother’s death in 2010. So much of my identity as mother—and now grandmother—is grounded in what I learned […]
January 19th
I’m not a cat person. I’ve had three cats now, all of whom just showed up as adorable kittens in desperate need of a home. And we’ve taken them in. I have enjoyed them, and loved them, though it was never my intention to become a cat owner. There is something satisfying about petting a […]
July 21st
Here’s another story written more than a few years ago–1996 to be exact. And speaking of natural disaster cakes, last year we decided to invite all of my daughter‘s soccer team and their parents to have cake and pizza after a game on her ninth birthday. I figured I might have as many as fifteen […]
February 4th
Today I bought a new sewing machine. It was on sale and we got a good buy on it, a table to hold it, and a chair to sit in while I sew. We loaded it all into the car, I climbed in, and the tears started falling. My husband asked what was wrong, and […]
January 22nd
Note: This post is a bit of a departure from my usual blog posts, and was inspired by a weekend birding festival and a session on writing about birds presented by Bryan “Fox” Ellis, master storyteller, author, and educator. A bird who is known for his black hat— A harsh, dark color that captures and […]
December 14th
It’s all about change. That’s the one constant in life—we change from the get-go till we die. Some of these transitions are more momentous than others; some have more long-reaching impacts. But change we must. Some transitions are beginnings; some are endings. It is one of those ending transitions that has triggered this writing today. […]