As a seven-year-old I wrote an essay entitled, “My Old Man,” for a second-grade writing assignment about our fathers, and instantly it had created a furor. Perhaps my teacher thought I was being disrespectful. If so, then she would have been wrong. However, I never received any explanation why she was discomfited. All I knew […]
Unavoidable Grief
I was on my way back home from visiting Bob and Linda when I got Paul’s call informing me that Steve had died. Steve is the father of Paul’s daughter-in-law, Katie. Paul reported that Steve had died just three weeks after complaining of stomach pain and getting a diagnosis of Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I […]
Then and Now
On the day after Thanksgiving Lola the pup and I travel to Deer Tick Manor to officially close the place until Spring arrives once again. Because the house is drafty and it rests on a cold slab of earth and concrete, this process requires battening down the hatches to the maximum extent possible to protect […]
Thanksgiving Remembrance (Revisited)
[This article first appeared last year about this same time, hence, it’s being “revisited.”] Going back to the start of 2021, I have been volunteering my time on Thursdays at a local food pantry that serves our community. I am off today, however, because we are closed on Thanksgiving, which seems more than a bit […]
Trouble in Paradise?
I met Robyn on one of those dating sites. She was not the first woman I dated after Lee died. We hit things off instantly, though initially I would not have been able to explain to you why this was the case. The truth is, we don’t have as much in common as you […]
Nearing Season’s End
This week I am on a scouting mission to Deer Tick Manor in advance of its unofficial closing on November 29. As I sit down to begin this week’s post, I have not gotten much done today beyond filling my vehicle with “cheap” gas, visiting my neighbors, talking with Robyn a couple times, and baking […]
Halloween Candy
Before this year, I would have told you that Halloween was one of my favorite holidays. A celebratory, non-denominational kid pleaser of a holiday, replete with costumes, scares, magic, and mystery. For older teenagers and young adults alike, Halloween provides an excuse to let your hair down, encouraging sexy and silly frolics that can last […]
The Orphan
Early Saturday morning, while sipping my first cup of coffee, I turned on public radio. I heard a story about the demands and burdens being put on people who must care for their aging baby boomer parents.I had tuned in just as a woman was discussing her personal experience caring for her father, who apparently […]
Making an Investment
Today’s theme concerning moving forward seems to be one that I gravitate toward with some frequency in these musings. In the next week alone I will be meeting Amy and Vik for dinner, and next week have made plans to see Paul and Joanne, along with Wendell and Steve. Of course, Amy was Lee’s dear […]
Nothin’ To Say
I sit here trying to pound out this week’s tune, but find that I do not have much news to report: No special insights to share about my widow(er)hood, no roiling sad emotions crying to be released lest I explode. In fact, at this moment I mainly am concerned with life’s humdrum: Restocking the pantry […]
Planning to Get Away
Recently I have been spending time considering possible warm weather destinations for a mid-February hiatus. Here in the northern climes the specter of another harsh Winter leaves us daydreaming of a Winter getaway. Such getaways are not necessarily limited to the warm weather […]
Maintaining
Lee was not my first wife nor even my second wife. However, she is the wife for whom the marriage vow “’til death do us part” felt true and irrevocable. Lee and I enjoyed a wonderful marriage. Then cancer came and got Lee and she died too young. I have learned firsthand that death is […]