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 […]
Writing Across Time
The Middlebury College Admissions Office uses interviews by alumni volunteers to supplement the online application process. As one of the volunteers, I’ve been talking to Middlebury applicants this month, and of course I have told them about my experiences at college. One of the things I talk to applicants about is the 4-1-4 academic calendar […]
Upgrading???
In the last four months I have replaced two computers and an e-reader. All with better models, but the process of upgrading still has me in a semi-dysfunctional daze. I knew last fall that my days were numbered – I had a six-year-old desktop that my husband and I both used daily, and a three-and-a-half-year-old […]
The Story of Things: Aquamarine Earrings from My Grandmother
After every natural disaster, as people pick through the remains of their homes, we hear them tell reporters that what is important is that they and their families are safe. They are overwhelmed by their material losses, but they know their family’s survival is the most critical fact. And yet, our material belongings are important. […]
Confessions of a Non-Skier
After I whined in a recent post about skiing, I now must report that I did not ski on our recent family vacation. I had good intentions, but discretion dictated that I abstain this year. In mid-December, we drove to Whistler, British Columbia, in a snowstorm in the dark. (It’s a common occurrence to drive […]