My Mother’s 80th Birthday: The Meaning of Decades and of Days
I have mentioned before that my mother has Alzheimer’s. The last few years have been hard on our family, as we have watched her abilities decline. We recently moved her into an assisted living facility. Today, March 4, 2013, is her 80th birthday. We celebrate the milestone, while we reflect on what has been and […]
Urban Rain, Suburban Snow, Waiting for Spring
I just spent nearly three weeks caring for my daughter who broke her leg skiing. She lives in an urban neighborhood in Seattle. I’ve never lived in a truly urban environment, one with stores and restaurants within easy walking distance, so this was a new experience for me. While I was with my daughter, I walked […]
My Nook HD and Flipboard (My New Favorite App)
I wrote recently about my computer travails, which required me to purchase a new desktop computer and a laptop within just a few weeks of each other. I mentioned I also got a new e-reader – a Nook HD to replace my aging Nook Color. That has been a happier transition. I dropped my Nook […]
My Story to Appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood
My story, My Son Made Me Tweet, will appear in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood, which will be available on March 12, 2013. This book can be preordered through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. As the publisher’s description of this book says, parenthood is full of ups and downs, but there’s no shortage of […]
Music from My Grandmother’s Hands, and Mine
My grandmother’s red-lacquered nails clicked lightly on the keys as she played the piano. She played classical music and big band songs, her hands flying over the keyboard to bring melody and harmony from nothing. The taps of her manicured nails only added to the music in my young mind. This was my father’s mother, […]
Little Bunny Foo Foo and My Son
Do you remember the ridiculous children’s song “Little Bunny Foo Foo”? I’m certain I never warbled it as a child. (Was it even around in those Dark Ages?) The song was completely foreign to me when my son came home from preschool chanting it. Over and over he chanted it. It was the ultimate in […]
Accidents on the Oregon Trail: Catherine Sager Pringle
This past week, while I’ve been caring for my daughter with a broken leg, I’ve thought about the injuries the pioneers to Oregon suffered on their journey. Accidents and disease were much greater risks to the emigrants than Indians, despite what we see in Western movies. One of every seventeen emigrants died along the trail. […]
Injury and Logistics
For someone who is a good planner, I’m finding this week a little overwhelming. As I was still recovering from the stomach virus of the weekend, my husband and I learned that our daughter had broken her leg skiing. She had surgery in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday, and I headed out to see her Monday night. […]
In Sickness and in Health
I had planned to write a family story for today’s post, but life has a way of changing one’s plans. My husband and I spent the last week nursing each other through gastroenteritis. Al came down with it first, and for two days I made him tea, toast, and chicken soup. His reaction to stomach […]
Whiskey Warehouse: History & Fine Dining in Alma, Missouri
Last Saturday evening, four of us went to the Whiskey Warehouse in Alma, Missouri, to celebrate a milestone birthday of one of our party. We wanted to make an occasion of the evening, but had no idea what to expect from this restaurant that opened in October 2012. We were delighted with the experience from […]