Such is Life
Life at the Bottom
For the past three years, I have had the great privilege of working in a home office that overlooks several hundred acres of prairie. As I gnash my teeth over the struggles of my professional life, I can look up and watch the very real life and death gnashing of my prairie neighbors as they…
Read MoreI Was a Loser
Milestones came at a rapid clip when our son Ned was an infant – crawling, sitting, standing and first words. Once school started, these milestones slowed down, replaced by the predictable progress through one grade after the next. But now here was he was standing in the kitchen in blue blazer and khaki pants –…
Read MoreJust Don’t Go
The house is quiet after a busy summer of kids coming and going, and Nick and I can now settle back into our lives of empty-nesters with a reduced slate of parental responsibilities. I hear younger friends tell frenzied stories of ferrying kids from one structured event to another, endless hours on the sidelines cheering…
Read MoreTings A-Koo-Moo-A-Late
We moved into our current house three years ago, and I exulted in our abundant storage space and expansive counter tops, particularly the kitchen which featured a large island. In our previous house I had railed against the piles of clutter that clogged every available flat surface – I had thought a possible solution was…
Read MoreEphemeral, Evanescent and Fugacious
I remember one dinner table conversation years ago when all of us kids were challenged to present and defend our favorite word. My father’s favorite word was “magnolia,” which I thought was a sissy word for a family patriarch, and wondered why he did not choose something more high-minded like peace, justice or equity. His…
Read MoreSanta Claus, Mr. Potato Head and the Hangnail Fairy
I suppose childhood can be characterized as a process of sorting out misconceptions from reality – the misconceptions can either by foisted upon you inadvertently by adults, or intentionally by perpetuating cultural icons or mores (think Santa, Easter bunny or tooth fairy here), or self imposed. Emerging maturity then is represented by a series of…
Read MoreOur Fridge/Ourselves
I arrive past midnight after a long day of traveling – a one day round trip from Chicago to San Francisco and back – and the house is still. Only the dogs are up to greet me, but instead of the appreciative thump of a tail on the floor, they just fuss about me with…
Read MoreA Piece of Myself
It has been almost two years since my parents died and we cleaned out the house, but I still have a few boxes of random mementos sitting here in my office. Every month I have promised myself to do the final sorting, but have made limited progresses. In this month’s feeble effort I came across…
Read MoreTMI: TP
As I complete my 59th lap around the sun, I have accumulated quite a few pet peeves, one of which was on display that other day as I accompanied Nick on his dog walk. Three times he had to stoop over and dutifully collect the stink pickle, and then pocket it for the rest…
Read MoreThat Moment in Time
We were only about 45 minutes into our 7 hour drive north when the traffic came to a complete standstill just south of Milwaukee. The highway was in the middle of construction and we were totally boxed in with concrete dividers and rumbling semis; there was no way to peek around and see what was…
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