Photo by Pixabay “You can’t miss it if you don’t know it’s gone.” Mom remains her pragmatic, equanimous self as we sit by the tree on Christmas morning after doing chores. She lost a chunk of her memories after a major heart surgery back in 2016. This fall, she’s been in and out of […]
Blessed be.
The shortest day, the longest night. It doesn’t matter what, if any, religious affiliation a person ascribes to. It is the reality of the earth and the seasons. And for our family, it is our most sacred night of the year. Tomorrow, the sun begins it’s slow journey back up into the sky, where it […]
The Holiday Bill of Rights
Meet Norbert. He’s a Norfolk pine, and he was the first houseplant I dared buy for myself that wasn’t a succulent. Prior to his entry into my life, as much as I loved houseplants, I didn’t dare acquire anything that couldn’t endure neglect. He entered my world during my perimenopausal years, a time when I […]
Thanks Matters
Like so many traditional holidays, Thanksgiving has a dark origin story — Colonialism. Slavery. Epidemics. These are all important issues to consider as we work to build a socially just, kind world. Gratitude is equally important. I reflect on both sides of the holiday this week. But I cannot let the dark history over-shadow […]
Home again.
“If I wanted to stand in sheep shit in the rain, I could’ve stayed home!” That’s Bob’s favorite quote from me from the trip. The tourism website’s description of October in Ireland was “cool and crisp…with plenty of daylight.” I’d add soggy and windy to that description. Like most Irish Americans, my “immigrant story” begins […]
The Exception Proves The Rule
We were in the city for Bob’s latest appointment at the Proton Center, but as part of our journey to keep the cancer dance as pleasant and upbeat as possible, we visited the butterfly vivarium at the Museum of Natural History. You should know that I’m not very patient in art museums. Nor in science […]
It wasn’t always like this
(See below for info on this photo.) It wasn’t always like this. This is what I think as my pen taps the yellow pad on my desk, waiting for someone to pick up at the Schoharie County Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse. The opioid crisis is hitting closer and closer to home, wreaking havoc […]
The Consummate Gentleman
This story ends with Bob dropping his pants on the edge of a lake in the Adirondacks, mooning a group of people on a motor boat. My task is to figure out how we got to this moment — Where a 65 year old man — dignified, kind, and recognized by our community, friends and […]
The Farmer’s Daughter
We call it her men-strual cycle. Every six to eight weeks, Saoirse sets aside Mordecai (her cat), her novels, her school books, her 18th century Italian gown that she’s hand-stitching. She goes online and starts sifting through her dating offers, filtering out anyone who shows a predilection for desecrating their coffee by contaminating it with […]
Better Than
Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead. Joanne Harris’ Broken Light. Both books are on my mind non-stop. They are masterful: Fabulous character arcs, great story lines, gorgeous writing. Both examine major social issues of our time…And both do it while pulling me into stories so enthralling, I lose hours of sleep each night, reading to the […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 31
- Next Page »