It wasn’t something I had forgotten, but something I had no cause to recall, until Don and I were relaxing on the couch, watching a YouTube video about people who experienced sleep paralysis, which are episodes where the person awakens, is aware of their surroundings but cannot speak or move…
Shortly before I sat down to write, I was waiting for the washing machine to finish its spin cycle so I could transfer the clothes to the dryer. I was passing the time with a monkey puppet on my right hand, using it to wrestle our squirrel.
When a woman my age drives a truck my truck’s age, people tend to make assumptions that she knows a thing or two about vehicles.
It was a gorgeous spring day and I was headed for home when I got delayed at a particularly long traffic light. As I sat there, I noticed a cluster of men, all wearing professional business attire, waiting for the light to change.
I never expected to become a mother again this far into my fifties, and certainly not to a creature some refer to as a “tree rat,” but Mom I am, at least, in Rudy’s eyes.
After the death of my youngest daughter, Camille, I tried a variety of ways to deal with my grief. I read books and articles on coping with loss, attended counseling through hospice, joined a support group for parents who lost children.
When my daughter was little, the house where we lived had a four-person hot tub that didn’t work and couldn’t be fixed. One day, upon learning company was coming on short notice, I realized the tub was the ideal place—with its large size and heavy lid (and the assumption that such things are…
Despite being a deeply frugal person, I have never been one for making returns. I suspect my aversion ties back to a long-ago incident at the St. Albans Kmart, which left me gun shy.
When I was in my early teens, our family’s old German shepherd, Bonnie Bell von Groaner, reached the point where our parents were talking about having her put to sleep. Bonnie’s hips and back had given out, she was severely diabetic, and an accidental overdose of cortisone had damaged her he…
In my last column, I wrote about my excitement over having a wild bird land on my head. Now, I’ve just come inside from having fed two. One Eastern Phoebe waited on our deck rail while another ate her fill from the palm of my hand. The moment she left, the second took her place, chirping swe…
I was at my computer, struggling over my wording in an email to a friend my age who recently had open heart surgery.
So, um, Don and I--we kind of bought a warehouse.
Like millions of people worldwide, I have embraced the tradition of starting the New Year by setting myself up for certain failure by choosing resolutions I’m unlikely to keep.
Being with Don has changed me in so many ways.
Global supply chain horror stories have some of us running scared about being able to find—and receive in time—thoughtful gifts for those on our list this Christmas. Usually by now, I’ve finished most of my shopping, but this time around, I’ve barely begun. I normally have so many ideas, mon…
Don and I were recently watching a Netflix show, “Locke & Key,” about a family whose ancestors created keys with magical abilities. For instance, the angel key enables the bearer to sprout wings and fly, and the anywhere key transports the holder anywhere in the world they visualize as t…
Halloween just isn’t the same this year, with my daughter now living four hours away.
Not long ago, I received an email from a woman in her early 70s who wrote about how salesclerks have started to treat her like she’s a “doddering old fool.”
It’s becoming a sadly common experience lately — being made to feel foolish for not possessing mind-reading skills when attempting to conduct a transaction.
Generally, I need no help from others to embarrass myself. I have a lifetime of experience at this. I can not only tangle both of my left feet, but also have one foot in my mouth at the very same time.
Mine has been a life of many regrets. When there’s been a fork in my road, I have almost always headed off the wrong way. I recently made yet another dumb move. It seemed right at the moment. I’m certain now it was not.