Treasured Time with Family Visitors
This past weekend, my son and his wife visited from Brooklyn, New York. They are very good about making the trip to see us, but their schedules only permit a couple of visits each year. I understand the challenge. When I lived in Kansas City and my parents lived in the Pacific Northwest, I couldn’t […]
Memories in a Car Wash
Yesterday I got my car washed. Mind you, many people in Seattle never get their cars washed. After all, it will rain. If not today, then tomorrow. Or later in the week. Soon. Is a car wash worth the money? But my car had been on a long road trip, and bugs had splattered the […]
A Roller-Coaster Month So Far
Some weeks glide by, almost without notice. Others pack a punch, pitching and tossing like the wildest roller coasters. The last couple of weeks have been a roller-coaster for me. I don’t like roller coasters. Like a roller coaster, the end of April was quiet enough. But my husband and I knew the pace would […]
The Birthday Dinner that Wasn’t
My granddaughter just turned two. Her parents and my husband and I planned a pizza and cupcake dinner at our apartment to celebrate—complete with gifts and singing, of course. Unfortunately, midday on the Big Day my daughter texted that the birthday girl had vomited. With toddlers, one never knows if stomach upsets are a fluke […]
Merry Christmas!
Our Christmas today will differ from how my husband and I have celebrated in years past. For the first time in decades, we will spend it in the Seattle area. We will also see our granddaughter (together with her parents) on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, which is a treat. (Though next year, she […]
Almost Eighteen Months Old!
In just a few days, my granddaughter will be eighteen months old. I won’t be with her, but I ask my daughter regularly about the toddler’s accomplishments. Plus, my daughter and son-in-law are good about sending us frequent pictures on our Aura frame. So I can attest, she is growing up so fast! Recently, my […]
I Miss My Photographs
I wrote last month about organizing my photographs so I could have them digitized. Late in April, I took them to a woman whose business is to digitize photographs and other mementos. I had boxes and boxes of snapshots, formal portraits, certificates, and other memorabilia. I left everything with her. And now I miss them […]
Variations of Normal Through the Generations
My daughter tells me her parent/baby group shows her nine variations of normal. What her baby—my granddaughter—does is one variation. But measuring one baby against another is a pointless exercise. She is right. The baby books from past generations in my family show more variations of normal. Comparing these variations is even more pointless, given […]
From Old Photos to Aura Frame
I’ve written many times about photographs taken from my childhood or from my children’s childhood. When I was young, black and white snapshots were still the norm. My grandfather got a color camera sometime while I was still a toddler, but my dad didn’t get one of those snazzy new (and expensive) devices until I […]
Easter 2009—Playing Tourist in New Orleans
Last weekend was Easter, and I reminisced about past Easter vacations. We took many vacations when our children were in school and their spring break coincided with Easter. But as I reminisced, one adult Easter vacation came to mind—in 2009, my husband and I went to New Orleans to visit our daughter who was at […]