Mummy died yesterday on Easter afternoon. Perhaps it’s somewhat symbolic given the nature of the holy day. Most might say she “passed away,” but I have no issue with directness. “Died” is direct. Flowers die. Trees die. They wither as their cells cease to receive nourishment from the earth and rain. “Passed away” has religious […]
Heaven
You might recall that my 92-year-old mother was diagnosed with Covid-19 in April 2020. She was quarantined on the Covid floor at her nursing home in Massachusetts for 30 days. She seemed to have a mild case and recovered completely. That’s the Mummy we all know: the baby girl born prematurely in the third-floor walk-up […]
This Is Where It Began
This is The Farm. One-hundred acres of wild woods and domesticated fields. A couple dozen milk cows, two draft horses, two pigs, twelve+ rabbits, twelve-odd laying hens, twenty-four ducks, one billy goat, one barn cat named Jasper, and one mongrel dog named Skippy. And four barefoot kids. “I have always loved wild places. I grew […]
The First Memoir I Ever Read…
The first memoir I ever read was Frank McCourt’s Angela’s Ashes. It caught my ear as I was waiting in the car while my husband popped into an auto parts store. We were parked at the intersection of Route 412 and Butterfield Coach Road in Springdale, Arkansas and the auto parts surely had something to […]
Barkeep! Another Round of Hugs, please!
After another long COVID week, I am longing for some refreshment. Liquid? Virtual? Physical? Any kind of refreshment. I think I’d like a Lemon Drop Martini. It’s been many years since I’ve ordered one. If the barkeeper has been careful passing it to the waitperson and the waitperson has managed to get to my table […]
Well, here we are…
…having crossed into the second month of 2021. What do you think? Are we better off? Do we see positivity on the horizon? Are we feeling better? Healthier? Mentally more stable? Are you at work on any resolutions? I’m just glad that I’m not toggling between CNN Live and MSNBC 24/7. Although I did appreciate […]
A Message from my Past
This morning, I opened a journal that I began several years ago, and revisited the opening entry. “Intro to Survival. The night I realized that the writing was going to be my redeemer, I dove in head first. I’ve never jumped head first into anything. I always feel like I have to explain why I […]
Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!
I haven’t posted in a while because here on the home front, beyond politics and Covid-19, I’ve been riding the roller coaster of Life. I’ve been hanging tight… It wouldn’t be Life if we didn’t have a few lessons to learn, right? I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a happy new […]
Swimming in the Dead Sea in Summer
Yesterday was my 70th birthday. Rather a big one, I think, and worthy of a big celebration. I don’t mean a big party or big money spent. I prefer to celebrate a significant transition with some kind of adventure, big or small or in-between. I had hoped, if all went well, to be swimming in […]
A Covid-19 Survival Story
My mother tested positive for Covid-19 on April 11, 2020. A week later, she experienced difficulty breathing, coughing, but no fever. After days of being very ill, she was moved to the Positive-Covid-19 floor of her nursing home in Massachusetts. She was on oxygen continuously for several days, then periodically as needed. Then– she got […]