I spent a good portion of my younger days pondering the central question of life: why am I here? Now in the full glory of post-menopausal wisdom, I can state unequivocally that I have been put on this Earth for two reasons, to humiliate myself and to eat crow. And,...
When I was a little kid and violated the cut-off time for liquids before bed, my full bladder would often invade my dream, convincing me that I was already in the bathroom. The initial trickle of relief I felt was enough to wake me up and send me running to the...
Last week I traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, to attend the 2018 National Society of Newspaper Columnists Conference. I always look forward to this annual gathering of the tribe, but this year’s event in Cincinnati held a special attraction for me because someone I once...
I am not a big fan of winged creatures, and I’m not much for the scurrying variety either. If a mad scientist ever combined the two into one hideous creation, say, some bizarre kind of a flying mouse—oh, wait, that’s right, nature already has. It’s called a bat and...
Today was the first official day of my spring break and it couldn’t have come soon enough to please me. The week before a vacation always seems to drag, but this year the pre-break week was not only seemingly endless, but downright strange. Encountering a jumbo...
First, I’d like to thank Laurie Larson Stone, the infinitely talented writer behind the blog Musings, Rants and Scribbles. Her thoughtful insights and relatable style will variously make you laugh or shed a tear, but always leave you a bit wiser for having stopped by...
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, so I’m bringing back this post from a few years ago to encourage everyone to get checked out. It’s almost time for my next look-see as well! I am pooped out. Literally. No, really, I literally mean literally...
My mom was a study in contrasts, a very sharp woman who quoted Shakespeare and Poe well into her 90s, yet whose declarations often smacked more of Yogi Berra. “You don’t need to pay him,” she once advised me when her neighbor changed my tire. “Just give him some...
Tomorrow is my sister’s birthday, but she is no longer here to celebrate. I wrote this piece about the times we shared in better days. Today I dedicate it to her memory. “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple, ...