Some people take down their tree and decorations the day after Christmas. In their minds, the holiday is over and it’s time to move on. In years past, we have taken down the tree and ornaments on January 2nd. It always makes me sad, but a crispy pine tree raining sharp needles, and empty gift boxes […]
There’s always that one moment on Christmas Day. As Karen Carpenter sang, “Greeting cards have all been sent. The Christmas rush is through.” The shopping for, or making gifts that I hoped my friends and family would love, is complete. All the other activities are done. Decorating. Baking. Holiday concerts. Parties. Wrapping. Unwrapping. Assembling. Playing. Then there’s that singular moment […]
This month, I noticed an exponential increase in scruffiness among my male friends. The movement apparently started in Australia to raise awareness for men’s health issues, such as prostate cancer. Named Movember (“mo” for moustache), the event dictated that men would start with a clean-shaven face on November 1st, then cultivate the best-groomed moustache they could muster (no […]
“Man is the only animal that blushes — or needs to.” — Mark Twain Whatever your political leanings, if you have a compassionate bone in your body, you have to feel (at least a little bit) for Texas Governor Rick Perry and his massive brain fart during a recent political debate when he completely spaced […]
I had a nightmare. Not one of those appearing-naked-in-public dreams, but almost as bad. I had been cast in some sort of musical theatre production. That should be hellish enough…but it was the first day of rehearsals, and I hadn’t learned any of my songs or dance steps. I had to go to the director […]
I was home alone. I thought someone had broken into the house. Thumping and banging. Then I realized the alarm system would have alerted me if a door or window had been opened. So logically, my imagination jumped to ghosts. In the basement. More thumping and banging. This is where the horror movie zooms in […]
As the lovely green Elphaba sings in Wicked, sometimes you have to trust your instincts, close your eyes and leap. Parenthood is a lot like that. I’m always amazed at our animal kingdom friends who just know what to do when becoming parents. Clean. Feed. Hunting lessons. The first thing Mommy animals do is cut […]
Really? Yes. Sure, it’s been a tough couple of years, and no one’s certain when things will improve. But I’ve always been a glass-half-full type of person. And while you might think my glass is full of it, I’ve found some good has come out of this economic down turn. Here are some of the benefits […]
When our first child was born, I had not had any prior experience with babies. Zero. Zilch. Nada. I had never babysat as a teenager nor held a friend’s or relative’s baby. Like Prissy from Gone with the Wind, I didn’t know nothin’ ’bout birthin’ no babies. So despite reading stacks of books on “what to […]
“We never repent having eaten too little.” – Thomas Jefferson Jefferson knew of what he spoke. If Monticello was anything like my house, the overeating started at Halloween. First, there’s all the candy (and folks in my neighborhood have been improving their hand-outs over the years. No more generic lolly pops. They are giving out Kit-Kats, […]