Remembering the People of Hallmark
I wrote five years ago about my first day of work for Hallmark Cards on September 4, 1979. That post was on the 40th anniversary of my start date (i.e., “continuity date” in Hallmark-speak). Today is the 45th anniversary of my start date. But this year I am thinking less about that first day of […]
The Pause Between Years
I usually post about Oregon history during the last week of the month, but this week I am feeling the pause between years. The week between Christmas and New Year’s has always felt to me like time to heave a big sigh and relax, to sit in the moment suspended between past and future. Most […]
Forty Years Ago Today I Began My Legal Career
Forty years ago today, September 4, 1979, I started working for Hallmark Cards. It was the day after Labor Day, summer was over, and it was time to get to work. My husband and I had spent the summer studying for the bar exam, taking the three-day test at the end of July. Then we […]
Random Memory of My Dad, the Butcher
On Father’s Day, of course, I think of my father. And in the summertime, I think of summers long ago. This year, a random memory of my father popped into my head—I remembered going to see my father work as a butcher while he was in graduate school. I’ve mentioned before that we lived in […]
Forty Years Ago: Interviewing in Kansas City
In November 1978, my husband and I spent Monday through Wednesday of Thanksgiving week interviewing for attorney positions in Kansas City. We were third-year law students, and we had decided to settle in either Kansas City or San Diego. Why those two cities? My husband was from Missouri, and we both liked San Diego. I […]
On Memories and Liars and Lying Memories
At Mass last Sunday, the second reading was from 1 John, and included 1 John 2:4 (NAB): “Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” As the lector read those words, I was transported to a time twenty years ago when I […]
Working Across Time and Across Generations
My husband and I recently were fortunate to have visits from our two adult children. Our son came for a few days at the end of April, and our daughter was here over Mother’s Day. I remember my mother telling me one time how nice it was to have her children visit by themselves, without […]
Are You Celebrating National Relaxation Day Today?
I learned recently that August 15 is National Relaxation Day—a day is set aside to slow down, unwind, and relax. We are advised to avoid stress, not work late, and rest when work is over. What an odd notion—that we need a day each year devoted to relaxation. Whatever happened to “on the seventh day […]
Pool Days . . . Guilt-Free
My in-laws put a swimming pool in their back yard the summer after my first child was born. I’m not a good swimmer, but I love hanging out by pools, at least until my fair skin starts to burn. It was wonderful to have a place to go to relax on summer weekends. We could […]
A Tale of Two Retirements
I retired nine years ago from my corporate job to become a writer. My husband retired from his law firm a little more than a year ago. So how is our retirement working out? As I intended, writing has been my primary activity for the past nine years. In the first six months after I […]