“Don’t look up.” That was the first piece of advice I was given after moving to New York City nearly 30 years ago. “Everyone will know for sure you’re not from around here.” But it was hard not to. Everywhere there was magnificent, varied architecture stretching into the sky: the Empire State Building, my favorite […]
Recently, I was brought down by a rogue pine cone. Yes, a pine cone. In my defense, it was one of those really fresh, hard cylindrical ones whose scales were clamped tightly shut. Picture a lumberjack during a log-rolling contest. You get the idea. The evil pine cone was positioned perfectly in wait as I […]
My daughter is taking a forensic science class, and her assignment yesterday was to review evidence from a hypothetical murder scene and deduce whodunit. A man was found dead at an apparent picnic in a field of flowers. Two glasses of wine were there, one with lipstick prints. Men’s-size-10 shoe prints and women’s-size-5 shoe prints […]
Here in the Northeast, we have far fewer bugs and critters that get into the house than we did when we lived in Texas. My Yankee-kids have never become accustomed to having many insects in the house. Consequently, they haven’t grown up with the aversion to the creepy crawlies that I have. Whenever a cricket, […]
As we approach Mother’s Day this weekend, I am reminded of the many Mom-isms that I heard while growing up. “Don’t sit so close to the TV. You’ll ruin your eyes.” “Don’t run with scissors.” “Put on some lipstick. You need some color.” “Wear clean underwear in case you get in an accident.” And of […]
As we close in on the end of the school year, students anxiously await the arrival of the yearbook. Picture Day earlier in the year was an adventure. The night before, my daughter carefully planned her outfit, accessories, hair and make up for the big day that would generate an image to be immotalized in the yearbook and […]
Outside our local bank is a ramp for wheelchair access and for those who can’t or don’t want to take the stairs. It slopes to the right, turns 180 degrees, and returns to the left, ending in the parking lot sidewalk. When my children were toddlers, they loved that ramp. It didn’t matter that it took longer […]
“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” ~ John Lennon One of my favorite movies is the comedy Dan in Real Life. The trailer for the film was awful. It wasn’t funny and did nothing to explain what the movie was about. If I hadn’t stumbled upon the film while […]
When I was 15, I had to spend an extended stay in a military hospital in Texas. Because I was going to be there for a while, the nurses spared me from a bed in the open ward and told me I could have a semi-private room. The only catch was that my roommate would be […]
Around 4:00 am, there was a lot of activity going on in our bedroom…under the bed. Instead of chasing each other, my cats were clearly after some other prey. Very few rodents have ever managed to get into our house, much less survive a night with three cats on the prowl. One adventurous (or stupid) mouse decided to […]