The second I saw the Capiz shell wind chime in the store, I thought “mom.” A Capiz shell is a round, nearly flat shell and is thin as glass. In their natural state, they are a shiny white, but these store shells were dyed in beautiful shades of turquoise, purple, pale green and yellow; some … More The Colors of the Sea
I think my first “official” job was working in the Children’s Shoes department at Halle Brothers department store. I was 16. I also worked in Food Service during college, in the Communications dept with The Cleveland Chamber of Commerce (summer job), and after I moved to Chicago, I worked at Studio One recording studio in … More Life at Legacy.com
I’ll admit it, I wasn’t too impressed with the first Top Gun movie. I was in my mid-20’s in 1986 and preferred movies like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Abyss (that was during my James Cameron phase) and Witness. I had not been exposed to the military or military life or a defending America … More The Curious Incident at Seat E13
Two years ago, I acknowledged my 60th birthday with a list of 60 Things That I’ve Discovered so far. I thought that it would be a good time to revisit this fun post and add a few more to the list. The initial list of 60 Things can be found HERE: 61. Don’t try Wordle … More 60 Things Part II
“Ahh, I remember this book” I think to myself as I pull it from a box of mom’s belongings I had quickly packed when we moved her into Memory Care in March 2021. I had given it to her as a Mother’s Day gift exactly two years ago while she was in a several-month lockdown … More Why We Swim
Once a year, on a date which cleverly (!) coincides with my WordPress anniversary, I like to provide updates on some of the stories I’ve shared over the last 365 days. Sometimes, there are worthy follow-ups. I am sharing them in no particular order. Last July, I had shared the story of Mary, my hair … More Whatever Happened To…
I was pretty naïve Palm Sunday when I called the nurses’ station at a skilled nursing/rehab center where my 91-year-old mom is currently staying and asked them to do me a favor. “Hi, my name is Melanie and I’m Ginny’s younger daughter” I began. “When you have a moment, can you go to her room … More Looking For Long-Term Solutions for Mom
About a month ago, I was browsing through Amazon Prime movie selections and one captured my attention. Simply titled Jungle it looked like an adventure/thriller story with a promising hook “Nature Only Has One Law – Survival.” Looking for a little escapism in an Amazon rainforest, I clicked “Play.” Surprisingly, it was based on the … More The Will To Survive – Where Does it Come From?
I am participating in this month’s WordPress #WordPrompt: Bridge At age eight, I felt lucky to have my street dead end directly in front of the the local library. It was still two very long blocks away, but I would fly there on my Hollywood-model Schwinn and park it in the front bicycle rack that … More A Bridge Away From Home
It has been months since I wrote about my 91-year-old mother Ginny who resides in Memory Care (the highest level of nursing and trained staff to help with behaviors associated with dementia and memory loss.) I had really liked that November post because we had shared a nice Thanksgiving meal and live music that evening … More Putting On Brave Faces
Leaving The Door Open 