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 […]
How are you?
“Hi Shannon! How are you?” Oh, my goodness. That’s SUCH a loaded question. I mean, my heart rate seems regular. I think my blood pressure is normal. Bob’s prostate cancer recovery is going well. But I’m behind on six things on my to-do list. And while I’m almost able to do circular breathing on my […]
Celebration of Negation Part III: Six NO’s for Success
Featured image courtesy of Corbie Mitleid. Difficult. Selfish. Willful. Controlling. Close-minded. Nasty. Disagreeable. Caustic. Pig-headed. Ungrateful. Obstinate. Offensive. Annoying. Stubborn. Bastard. Bitch. There are lots of words to describe a person who chooses to say NO. I think those words used to be one of the reasons I spent too much of my […]
Celebration of Negation Part II: Yes to NO*
If your path is in any way similar to mine — maybe you have a farm, or you don’t send your kids to school, or you work for yourself… You’ve met up with negativity, incessant claims on your time (especially if you don’t go to a normal 9-5 job), unreasonable customer demands, doubters and […]
Celebration of Negation Part I: A Failed NO is a YES
For the time being, let’s hold Jack blameless. Although, he did introduce us to the cookie recipe that has caused the problem. And he did deliver the last TWO cookies….not ONE cookie…but TWO cookies, to Grammie when she asked for them at the cafe on Saturday afternoon. And he did NOT ask Saoirse and Ula […]
What to Wear
Bob and I are wedding guest list safety valves. We receive invitations, but everyone knows we don’t ever go Most weddings seem to take place on Saturdays in summer and fall, and for all but the first two years of our marriage, we’ve worked Saturdays in summer and fall. Folks do send us wedding invitations. […]
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