A Labor Day weekend survey of the garden is a such a dreary exercise. The petunias in the window box, big favorites of the hummingbirds and bees this summer, droop sadly in apparent surrender to the late-summer weather scourge. Their dry, twiggy stems are grumpily sprouting junior versions of their glorious purple trumpets from early […]
It was one of those golden moments, the kind that linger in memory, perhaps more powerful because it was utterly unexpected. It began with one of those instincts you can’t suppress, because it is rooted deep in your bone marrow. We were gathered around the dinner table, with pizza and birthday balloons and cupcakes waiting […]
I went back in time yesterday. Just for a little while—long enough for breakfast. The scene was a favorite hangout in my old neighborhood, a deli that used to be one of a type easily found all over town. You know the kind I mean: Speckled vinyl tabletops with chrome trim, shiny booths with a […]
GROAN. Is it a high-potential starting word in America’s favorite word game? Three good consonants, two frequent vowels…a good opening volley this morning? Or, is it the SOUND that erupted painfully from my throat, scaring the dog, when I busted my Wordle streak? (AGAIN.) If you are among the millions addicted to the word game […]
Hello, Gorgeous. So you’re back, are you? Yes, here you are, in all your tempting ruby glory. I can’t get enough of you, and I don’t care who knows it. There are those who may say (sing it, Andy Williams) that the year-end holidays are the most wonderful time of the year. Perhaps that’s true, […]
Editor’s note: This week G-ma welcomes a guest writer. She’s our beloved sister, and we’ll call her G-aunt here. Enjoy G-aunt’s reflections on how deftly small children put us in our places and teach us what only they can. He’s named for his dad, looks like his mom, and acts like — himself. My grandson […]
I don’t think I could have done it. Not then, not so soon. It would have been too painful to say the word “hope” just days after our community joined hundreds of others across America, paralyzed and grief-stricken. As we have watched in so many other cities and towns nationwide, a deranged, gun-laden shooter blasted […]
January, I defy you. Your dank, slate-shadowed days are but a passing blip, barely worthy of acknowledgement. February, I see you lurking there in the shadows, ready to smother us with your utmost: Your truncated days when gray blankets the drizzly world down into the marrow of your bones and the golden touch of sunshine […]
Picture this: The next day, there were cookie sprinkles in my bed. You really can’t make this stuff up. How did the little multi-colored devils make their way from the kitchen? Certainly not because I was eating in bed; I was too exhausted by that time to even open my mouth, much less chew. Most […]
Made a few notes for next time after hosting Thanksgiving for the family. Things I Forgot For Thanksgiving Dinner Graham crackers for the smores. Oh, yes, we had the snazzy outdoor firepit, acquired in hopes of extending the space for the crowd out onto the back porch, a welcome dose of fresh air and crackling […]