High School Graduations Through Two Generations
Recently, a relative sent my husband a picture of his high school graduation day. I’d never seen this photo before. My husband is the tall young man in the red robe—the color of the Marshall High School Owls. He graduated in 1967—more than fifty years ago. My husband probably thought of himself as grown and […]
What My Mother Read To Me: THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT COULD
One of the earliest books that I remember my mother reading to me was The Little Engine That Could. I went online to see if I could find the cover of the edition she read to my younger brother and me, but I couldn’t be sure which one it was. It was probably the 1954 […]
I Should Be on a Cruise Right Now
In the pre-pandemic days, I had planned a Viking River Cruise with my siblings and our spouses. The longboat was scheduled to leave Amsterdam yesterday, May 12. That did not happen—the cruise was cancelled, and we are all hunkered down in our respective homes. A long way from Amsterdam. We started planning this cruise about […]
My Daughter, the Athlete
My daughter has always been a focused individual. I’ve described before her intense effort at learning to walk. Another example of her concentration has been her dedication to fitness and sports throughout her life. She grew up with a big brother who loved sports. He played T-ball, then basketball, and she tagged along to all […]
An Early Start on College
This post is about my mother, though not about Mother’s Day. While searching for a topic for a Mother’s Day post, I came across a photograph of my mother and me in an album my grandmother made for me many years ago. I’ve always liked this photo, because it shows my mother as a reader. […]
My Work-In-Progress, and the Temptation to Edit As I Read
As I reported to readers of my newsletter last week, I completed the rough draft of my work-in-progress in mid-April. This first draft took just under six months to write—not fast, but also not the slowest first draft I’ve written. Because it’s a contemporary novel, I didn’t have to do much research. It is set […]
Resurrection (or Inattention)
The trees at our new house were planted just days before we moved in, late last July, in the middle of a heat wave. We watered the sod and landscaping three times a day for several weeks, but nevertheless, it appeared that three of our four trees did not survive. The redbud in front looked […]
Signs of Adulthood: Toaster Ovens and Door Knockers
For my husband, the mark of adulthood was ownership of a toaster oven. He’d spent five years as a Navy officer, and presumably had some responsibility in that capacity. (I didn’t know him then.) But he was itinerant through his Navy days, and hadn’t owned a home or had a family. In fact, he hadn’t […]
Smallpox Epidemic in Oregon: A Scene from NOW I’M FOUND
Here is a scene from Chapter 44 of my novel Now I’m Found, describing a smallpox epidemic that hit the Oregon City area in October 1849. The following Sunday morning William complained, “Mama, I’m hot.”Jenny felt his forehead—burning. O’Neil brought her a bucket of water, and she removed William’s shirt and wiped his chest and […]
My Strength is “Input,” But Enough Already
Many years ago, my work group and I took the Gallup StrengthFinders survey. The theory behind this survey was that employees who get to do what they do best at work every day are more engaged and more productive in their jobs. The survey’s purpose was to identify what people do best. My top strength […]