(re-run from 2019) As I sit here on a Sunday afternoon, I have fluffy white “Iowa” clouds (cumulus) out the windows across the back of my house. I used to look into a wall, but that baby is gone, and now I have nature. This month has been so full already, three chorus concerts with… Continue reading Holiday Heartache
Category: Christmas
Always Wear Clean Underwear
I was getting ready to walk the dog this morning when I noticed that the toilet bowl needed a swish. Doing it later isn’t a thing with me. What If I get hit by a bus and people see my dirty toilet? Swish, swish. My youngest is coming home for Thanksgiving? Dust the cobwebs, vacuum… Continue reading Always Wear Clean Underwear
No Christmas Tree for Me
(re-run from 2018) Eight Christmases in this house and only two trees. Both were living, and both got planted in my yard. Guess what? My yard is full. That’s what happens when you get rid of your grass, fire your gardener, and watch volunteer trees grow on their own, self-planting trees with a little help… Continue reading No Christmas Tree for Me
Memorizing Chorus Song Lyrics
My community chorus is singing 14 songs for Christmas. Five of them are repeats from last year, so that leaves nine new ones for me to learn and a new part on two songs, so 11. Memorizing the notes and timing is easy. Just listen to the songs on a loop while running errands. As… Continue reading Memorizing Chorus Song Lyrics
Remember Kelly Dolls?
Do you remember the Kelly dolls by Mattel? They are 5 inch tall dolls in their own little plastic and cardboard boxes, Barbie’s little sister. The boxes are as colorful as the dolls. Twenty-some years ago, on my weekly run to Target with a toddler in tow, I would check out the Kelly dolls and… Continue reading Remember Kelly Dolls?
The Navajo in the Room
My mother’s brother was a college professor at Shiprock College (now renamed Diné College) in New Mexico. He met and married my aunt Grace, a Navajo woman. This was exciting news in my all-white Iowa family. Uncle Jim was coming to town with his new bride. Uncle Jim was tall and slim, and had a… Continue reading The Navajo in the Room
Two Months and Seventeen Days
My daughter got her first full-time job offer today after graduating in global health last May. We talked. She was pumped about it but will still honor tomorrow’s interview. Then the truly bizarre happened. I got a text this afternoon from the United States Post Office, saying that my package from California had been delivered… Continue reading Two Months and Seventeen Days
Oranges, Anyone?
It was a very cold Saturday when I headed out to run an errand. I’d walked one dog, played ball with the other one, taken down the tree, packed away the Christmas stuff and done three loads of laundry. My youngest was on a plane on her way back to Baltimore. I passed the tiny… Continue reading Oranges, Anyone?
Facebook Cracks Me Up
(re-run) Facebook cracks me up. I posted a photo of my girlfriend and me, posing next to a glorious Christmas tree, both of us decked out in our holiday finest. She’s a stunner, but people were nice and said we were both beautiful. I thought, I’ll take that. Then one random friend said, “Beautiful tree!” … Continue reading Facebook Cracks Me Up
Daisy’s New Perch
(re-run) My suburban house is cozy but dumb. The small bedrooms are on the front of the house, with the family room tucked behind the garage. There are no good windows for Daisy to see out of, no couch to jump upon to watch the street. Until the day I cleaned my office. I ended… Continue reading Daisy’s New Perch
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 