family essay
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I’m not Santa
I’m not Santa. I have played his representative at this household for …um…thirty years, but I suddenly find that my term is over. All my girls have their own little ones and, hence, have assumed the role of Santa for themselves. And all my girls have their own guys who are responsible for ensuring Christmas happiness and Continue reading
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Little man hands
It was too quiet Friday morning, so I looked outside and saw the little guy working on the tractor with PopPop. From the upstairs window it was just the cutest thing. Then I went outside to inspect closer. Oh my. Grandson was busy at work scraping gunk off the tractor engine. This is a 1952 tractor Continue reading
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Bugs–visible and invisible
Some would say I deserved the wasp sting. That’s what I get for being home on a balmy day in February, relaxing in the backyard without even a coat on. Well, I was minding my own business, when this nasty wasp just came upon me and stabbed me through my sweater. The nerve! I quickly Continue reading
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Going Squirrelly
At 8 a.m. on a school day, this disabled French teacher sits in bed, surrounded by fluffed pillows, sipping from an enormous Parisian coffee bowl, and pondering an early morning dream in which a school colleague was driving a group of teachers in our old dilapidated ’91 minivan (the one that literally limped its way to Continue reading
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Hip Chronicles: In Which the Hipster and Hanny Go on an Outing
(If I’m lucky, Hanny won’t read this post. But I’m not that lucky.) In the third week after surgery, it is time for a real outing, but I need a chauffeur. That would be my mom, aka Hanny, who is not old but is a generation older than a daughter with a new hip. The Continue reading
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‘Twas the week before Christmas
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house No one was ready, least of all my spouse. Stockings are ready to hang in a few, But what will go in them, I haven’t a clue. Hubby’s off on his errands with traffic to battle In our ’99 Jeep with a muffler rattle. And Continue reading
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Traditions define a family…how weird are yours?
“Please come to the party prepared to share about a Christmas tradition in your family.” Requests like that put a knot in my stomach. What if my traditions are dumb? Lame? Lacking in spirituality/deep meaning/ sensitivity/creativity/all or any of the above? There’s something about sitting in a circle doing that kind of activity that weirds Continue reading
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Cleaning the Chocolate Fountain
A chocolate fountain really adds “wow” factor to a party. We’ve included a chocolate fountain in our holiday parties for several years now. If you acknowledge up front that the massive amounts of chocolate are mostly going to be tossed out and that you ought to have an empty dishwasher when you put chocolate-coated parts Continue reading
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Countdown to Thanksgiving
For some people the upcoming days count down to serious Christmas shopping. Others are counting the days to shotgun season. For me, multiple checklists focus me toward the annual Thanksgiving crowd at my house. With about forty guests expected, the checklists–my marching orders–keep me from total panic. I used to spend a whole weekend making Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 