My mother achieved the milestone of 89 years on this planet on a spring day while the world struggled at the early peak of the COVID-19 lockdown. Surely for the first time in 88 birthdays, she marked the occasion without a hug, a kiss, or even a fond pat from anyone related to her by […]
It’s so hard to know what to do these days, isn’t it? Watch the news, or turn it off? Cook like a rampaging mother of six, or support your local cafe with takeout, at the curbside, of course? Undertake a new hobby? (Spare me. Only the ultra-privileged would utter such nonsense.) Here’s one for writers: […]
Time is a blur these days, but it still seems that our relationship was in its tender, early stages when suddenly, with the onset of a national emergency, we became captives together. Maybe not captives exactly, but we are tethered here by a togetherness that is unrelenting, with no end in sight. In this unprecedented […]
The accomplished hostess knows this fundamental truth of entertaining: Good parties tend to grow. A little gathering at my place on a recent weekend morning started with just two guests, with my granddaughter Sis as hostess and me hovering in attendance nearby as kitchen staff. “Evie, can we get out the tea set?” she had […]
Nothing illuminates the beauty of the average day quite so brilliantly as the fear that the average day has vanished indefinitely, maybe for always. And so, on the morning after the President of the United States declared the virus pandemic a national emergency, I ventured out to see how my little world would respond to […]
If there are many things that lift the heart faster than making a child laugh, I can’t name them. The other day I tried a little trick with the grandkids with a bit of an ulterior motive, and it got a better laugh than I expected. Hey, Buddy, I said casually, do you hear the birds […]
It’s a surprisingly moving cinematic moment, when delivered as beautifully as this one is, to see an older man connect to a younger one by asking about his favorite stuffed toy from childhood. The older man is the legendary Fred Rogers, played by Tom Hanks in the hit movie It’s a Beautiful Day in the […]
If you are inclined this time of year to reminiscing about Christmases past, like so many of us of a certain age, you might linger on memories of treasured gifts you received as a child. Perhaps there was a favorite toy, a bicycle, or maybe a special outfit you wanted desperately and never thought your […]
The scene: A sunny Sunday afternoon in the neighborhood. The subject: G-ma’s new best pal, being lavishly admired by Buddy, camera in hand. The result: Documentary? Comedy? Biography? A pinch of all those flavors. Click below to tune in.
Is grandparenting is a joy like no other? Just ask a G., but only if you have plenty of time on your hands, because chances are you won’t get away quickly. In the age of social media, you could choke on all the evidence, drown in endless photos of beautiful small people indulged by Gs […]