daily life

A few kind souls have made a huge difference in a wet, cold January.

In the 90s, I had a friend who had invented refrigerator magnets. Or I guess he popularized word magnets for the fridge, that’s more precise. It was cool knowing an inventor, but I probably would have had a set of fridge magnets anyway. Everyone did.  Also sometime in the 90s I had a boyfriend, a…

Of the whole summer, this was the week I was most worried about, though for the wrong reasons. Jaden was signed up for a baseball camp we won at the school auction last year; he saw the photo of the boys in crisp white uniforms and he wanted it. Bad. Never mind that it’s a…

Returning to civilization from a week at family camp is a delicate operation. I find myself out of sorts, wondering why I can’t finish 3 books a week, sit by the pool, and let the college kids entertain my children and feed us all. Does it reflect well or poorly on me that the children…

I’m sure it will jinx everything to even write this down. There’s a good chance that my years-long quest will be jeopardized by even thinking this thought. But I believe that Comcast may have, might have, could have… fixed my internet connection. Deep breath. The little white light on the modem is still solid. So…

I have to say, the stakes are somewhat small. The PTA of our fantastic and lovely elementary school raises $150,000 to $170,000 a year, to support the teachers and kids. Fantastic for our community, and nothing to sneeze at. But hardly Forbes Magazine territory. Someone who managed to steal it all could have a very…

It was an impulse, unplanned, but in retrospect inevitable. This had been coming. In early December I deleted Facebook off my phone. There were a lot of reasons. For one, it was taking too much time. I enjoy keeping up with friends and their kids, pets, hobbies and vacations. But I was getting more (and more distracting)…

My mother lived only 2 days into her 54th year, and the end of her life was a case study of how we sometimes ramp up, into expensive and invasive treatment and activity, just when some softening and easing would be perfect. “We’ll fight this and beat this” has its place, but the push and…

Finnegan was 16 and a half years old, which is quite up there for a Jack Russell Terror Terrier. Most of his life he was everything you’d expect: feisty and full of bravado, snuggly and in need of comfort. Jay says that as a puppy Finnegan charged out into the back yard, barking fiercely and…

We’ve needed rain so much, and the Spring delivered. Rain, and rain, and more rain. We’re headed into the dry season but the plants are gloriously happy. The pollen shimmers in the warming air, and as the kids’ summer break speeds towards me I find myself in a strangely frantic lethargy. There’s so much to…

I’ve been worried about Dad. He’s having progressive short-term memory loss. He’s feeling woozy and dizzy. Of course he says he’s fine, but he’s not the most communicative person on the planet, so I worried there was more. Living half a continent away it’s hard to tell. I arrived on a recent visit in high…

Jay’s aunt Leona Cohen passed this week. She was 91. The end was expected, but then it didn’t come for awhile. She rallied and had a good period.  It felt like a surprise when she died on Sunday, but I guess death always feels like a surprise, unbelieveable even as it is unavoidable. The funeral…

I’m not sure about where a cold ends and the flu begins, but there’s a pretty bright line when I stop making dinner and take to bed. My husband and kids were on their own for parts of this week while I’ve been in an altered state. It’s a great time to have a dog. Even our new, bad dog…

There’s been plenty to have the winter blues about, this winter. Scary, out of control politics. Divided country. Too many dirty dishes, my daughter’s book report is due, and it’s not clear what’s for dinner. I try to keep perspective, try to stay grateful for every wonderful thing I have. But there have been weeks,…

Sometimes I feel at odds with the whole world, in ways large and small. They sell toothpaste now in these great little containers. It’s revolutionary, no gross mis-squeezed tubes, just a simple, easy-to-use bottle. But a trip to Target reveals that almost nobody in the consumer universe agrees with me. The oldstyle tubes in boxes take up…

Some random thoughts on turning 53! I think frequently about the fact that I’m just one year away from the age at which my mother died. I know this doesn’t have more than emotional power. Facing life threatening illness with my friends in my 20s taught me none of us can take a day of life for…

Recent changes in our elderly Jack Russell Terrier had me looking for treatment alternatives.