For most of September, I have been on an unexpected hiatus. I needed time to finalize plans for my mother’s service, pull my thoughts and words together for a eulogy, and spend time with my visiting family. I debated how to approach my next post as I have focused (understandably so) on Gretchen’s passing. I … More Once in a Lifetime
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
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 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 was January 4th and I was staring at a blank Word document that was as white as the snowy mid-Atlantic states getting hit by the nor’easter that day. My hope was to acknowledge the new year and slalom right into a new season of WordPress posts. But I couldn’t find a single word to … More Every Picture Tells a Story – A Look Back
Something my 31-year-old son said to me last week reminded me about an ancient (18-year-old) hard copy of a manuscript I have buried in the cupboard. I’m pretty sure most readers here have a similar project in a similar cupboard. The premise was to keep a “journal” for one year chronicling life with a 13-year-old … More Operation Odyssey
On the morning I was scheduled for my appointment, I woke to loud thunder and lightning. I got up and walked in the dark through the living room and stood in front of the glass sliding door to watch. Interestingly, there was no rain. I love thunderstorms, so I stuck around for a few minutes … More A New Me
This is not a story about my hair; but it starts there. It had been eight months since my last chemotherapy session and my short hair was as curly as Little Orphan Annie though the color was far different. This phenomenon, often referred to as chemo curl, is common post-treatment because the chemicals damage the … More A Tale of Two Journeys
I had high hopes when I used my Libby app to download Rock Me on the Water: 1974-The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics written by Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein and published last March. This nonfiction work would be a great choice for my first book review. As a teenager in … More Rock Me On The Water: LA’s Legendary Moment in The Sun 50 Years Ago
It was the Monday of Labor Day weekend 2015. My husband and I had only been living in our newly adopted state for 33 days. We had driven from the Chicago area to our new community east and south of Orlando, Florida; just a 20- minute drive from the Atlantic coast. We were renting an … More Fins: A Summer Memory
Leaving The Door Open 