It was a beautiful day, soft and quiet. As I left for my walk, I thought … perfect. I can use the time away from unfinished projects, to-do lists and the piles of paperwork on my desk. My solitary walk is always a lovely time to regroup and refocus. Unfortunately, shortly after stepping out, I could…
Lately I seem to be tripping on little bits of this and that … the odd phrase, random thought, passing gesture, or old lessons gleaned from others. Like silk tendrils, they are woven into the fabric of my life. I am sure those who once shared their thoughts or dropped their clever non sequitur, are…
It rained most of Monday and continued drizzling Tuesday morning. I had decided to forgo my walk as it looked gloomy and cold outside. However, by noon it had warmed up and the rain had stopped, leaving a persistent foggy mist. It was a damp and dreary world out there, but I put on my…
My memory of childhood has little to do with black and white Kodak moments printed on glossy photographic paper. Those images, framed in white deckle, are family memories. They are copies of the updates shared with grandparents, aunts, uncles and old friends. Mother sent them off enclosed with her cards and letters keeping everyone up…
After my mother died, I discovered some random photos tucked away in her desk. A small packet of memories carefully wrapped in an envelope worn soft from frequent use, with a little bit of cardboard to keep them flat, they were photographs of my late stepfather’s family. Gerhard kept them handy in case anyone thought…
We idled, imprisoned in traffic on an anonymous stretch of expressway. Expressway is an oxymoron if ever there was one. The vista before us was a dystopian sea of rear ends, SUVs, sedans, eighteen wheelers, box trucks, and the rippling puckered air of exhaust fumes. At three o’clock in the afternoon we had run into…
As a child, I watched my Grandmother stich and sew, employing her hands to good effect creating beautiful and useful hand work. The fruits of her labors … the quilts and pillows and aprons and tablecloths and tea towels and dresses … were woven into the fabric of my life. Some, like the tablecloths, were…
Our house in Iowa City… the house of my early childhood … had front porch steps, back-porch steps, and a side door stoop. But in addition, there were what Mom called the sidewalk steps. These were the three small steps leading up from the sidewalk to the front walk. I have since found they are…
Just a heads up … It turns out that as a toddler, I missed the lesson on left and right. As a result … do not act upon any spontaneous directions you might receive from me, unless those directions are reinforced with hand signals, such as tapping on the passenger window while yelling, “Take the…
I could use a little help here! I’m not sure how it happened, but I suddenly find myself in the midst of Christmas. There are only ten days left until after Christmas. Yoicks! How could this happen? Where was I when the memo went out? In the past, I could rely on seeing Christmas decorations…