Cedar Point is America's Roller Coast. Dorky, but true! For each of the past 22 years, I've spent an August day there with approximately 40,000 of my fellow citizens. Since my in-laws live in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point is part of the magic of our Annual Family Reunion. This year I was lucky … [Read more...] about #CedarPoint #HalloWeekends
Fruitful Conversation
This evening I was in the grocery store parking lot, and watched a girl, about nine years old, and her mom, approach their car. Each of them had full plastic bags hanging from their wrists. The girl was talking very fast, very urgently, and the mom was listening intently. Every now and then the … [Read more...] about Fruitful Conversation
Emerson Commencement Address by David Gregory
Our daughter graduated from Emerson College in Boston on Monday, May 14, 2012. The ceremony was held in the Broadway-style Wang Theater and the reception afterward was in tents on the Boston Common under cloudy skies. The graduation speaker was David Gregory, moderator of Meet the Press. He did a … [Read more...] about Emerson Commencement Address by David Gregory
Improvising in the Kitchen
My family teases me that I am unable to follow a recipe exactly. To me, a recipe is a suggestion, kind of like driving directions. Actually, I follow Googlemap directions much more closely than I follow recipes! Before I begin cooking I like to remind myself of the rules of improvisation: Say … [Read more...] about Improvising in the Kitchen
Friday Five: Birthdays
Jan, over at RevGalBlogPals posted this Friday Five about birthdays: 1. What are your feelings about celebrating birthdays, especially your own? I enjoy being "the birthday girl." Our celebrations are very low-key, but I enjoy marking the milestone. Gifts don't matter much to me, they are always a … [Read more...] about Friday Five: Birthdays
A Snapping Turtle in Suburbia!
Today was the first very very warm spring day, so warm you realize that spring wll be over soon. As my husband and I were returning from the gym this evening, we noticed a lot of people standing in the middle of our street, around a large black lump that looked like somebody's overcoat. "Turtle!" … [Read more...] about A Snapping Turtle in Suburbia!
Company in My Study: a pair of red-eared sliders
I have company in my study: a pair of red-eared sliders. These are semi-aquatic turtles that are quite green except for red stripes that extend back from their eyes. Right now they're between 2 and 3 inches long. Our daughter saw them at a shop in Chinatown in Boston, near her campus and was … [Read more...] about Company in My Study: a pair of red-eared sliders
Our 25th Wedding Anniversary: Love is a Work-in-Progress
Vacation: began with the spontaneous decision to take in a Broadway production of MARY POPPINS (marquee noticed at 7:16, show began at 7:30) continued with a pilgrimage to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where love is in the air (and reverberates blissfully in the ear drums) then spanned … [Read more...] about Our 25th Wedding Anniversary: Love is a Work-in-Progress
A Prayer for a Daughter Who Is Studying Abroad
On Sunday our daughter is leaving on a 3-week study trip to India. ?What an adventure she'll have! ?Her subject is Peace & Conflict Studies, and the location is mainly centered around Pondicherry, in southern India. We are so grateful she can make this trip, as we greatly prize the experience of … [Read more...] about A Prayer for a Daughter Who Is Studying Abroad
Ruminations on Parenting which never ends
The last couple of weeks have been all about our daughters. ?I mention this in case you happen to be the parent of younger children and believe that in the future your life will be "yours" again. ?I can't say that such a thing never happens, of course. I am not dead yet, so parenting is an ongoing … [Read more...] about Ruminations on Parenting which never ends
The Light Is Honeyed
A pantoum is a form poem where the second and fourth lines of each stanza become the first and third lines of the next stanza, creating an interlock that puzzles me. ?I wrote this on the eve of my 51st birthday, remembering Thanksgiving Day when we took a family nap. The light is honeyed, sparked … [Read more...] about The Light Is Honeyed
Still: Life Is Sacred, post-Thanksgiving Thoughts
Sometime after Thanksgiving dinner, tired from eating and laughing, we all drifted into tryptophan-spiked naps. ?One daughter was warm on my left side, the other pillowed on my right, with Doug stretched out at our feet. Imagine your lapcat and multiply by a factor of seven, or maybe seven and … [Read more...] about Still: Life Is Sacred, post-Thanksgiving Thoughts