It happened again the other day, at it has so many times in the last few months. And it will happen again, I have grown to accept, until, well, until it finally doesn’t. I reached for my phone, an instinct rooted in countless repetitions across my life, to call my mother. She’ll know the answer, […]
Desperate times call for…well, you know the line. If you’ve ever been on a road trip with two near-adolescent siblings in a phase of constant bickering, you may know a level of desperation that staggers the imagination. About two hours into a three-hour summer drive to visit family in central Kentucky with grandkids Buddy and […]
Fame was so close to my grasp. I could smell it. I could taste it. Nah, not that kind of fame. You’ll never catch me dancing on TikTok or “influencing” millions with culinary wizardry or cat videos. My shot at glory seemed much closer to my grasp, and certainly more age-appropriate. I longed to be […]
In the heady, post-war days in the spring of 1948, he was a three-year-old hero, a superstar before the term was coined, his name in the headlines everywhere and on the lips of the lucky punters who picked him in the Kentucky Derby and cashed in. He thundered into history that June at Belmont Park […]
The morning sunlight of early spring beams through the window blinds and onto the table next to where I’m sitting, spraying dapples onto my coffee cup and the oddly shaped little potted plant next to it. I’m uncertain how long I’ve been sitting there, staring at the plant, my book ignored in my lap. One […]
Why do siblings fight? Why does the moon orbit the earth? Why do cats dominate dogs? Why do Kentucky basketball fans loathe the Duke Blue Devils so bitterly?* Some things represent forces of nature, beyond the influence of humble beings like parents or grandparents. Right, or not? Buddy turns 11 this week, and Sis will […]
Today’s installment of the Chronicles is offered as a special tribute to G-ma’s longtime friend, Amy-Lyles Wilson, in honor of a recent landmark birthday. G-ma has been fortunate enough for many years to participate in Pilgrim Writers, a collaborative writing group guided by Amy-Lyles under the principles of the Amherst Writers & Artists. In this […]
Our fall break adventure was so lovely, but it was ending. Time to go home. There were so many memories packed into just a couple of sunny days—a crackling campfire with sausages roasting, boat rides in a wind so vigorous that the lake’s bristling whitecaps rocked us around, determining our course. In a few rounds […]
In the course of everyday family life involving school-aged children, schedule demands often dictate the shape and form of interaction. Conversation may feel less like an in-depth news interview and more like a quick declaration aimed at a passenger who has just leapt on a departing subway. The chance to say “have a seat and […]
There were many reasons, some of them deeply understood by those who honored the restrictions of the COVID era but squirmed with restless desire for change. Whatever those reasons were, the day arrived some months back when the face looking back at me in the mirror piped up and said: It’s time to move on. […]