When I purchased my new car recently, I intended to keep my old one for the kids. The old car was having some transmission issues, but I was going to have them repaired. My car had only one previous owner before myself. It seemed like a good idea to keep the vehicle in which I […]
Widowed Milestones
Healing Waters
Welcome Summer and the first Saturday of the season! I grew up a pool rat. My father managed a number of town pools and swim clubs in Northern New Jersey from the early1960s through the late 70s during the months when he wasn’t teaching and coaching. His summer job. My family loved pool season when […]
Following Father’s Day
Here you are on display so many years after the fact. Having been only four tiny pounds yourself, you grew larger than life. You had the strength to be immutable and the grace to be tender. Tough and Tender. A combination for life. Seeing this photo undoes me. Missing […]
That Twin Inevitable Heartbreak
As a widow, we hear plenty of platitudes. One of them being ‘time will heal all’. It’s one that I truly dislike and still makes me cringe mostly because I don’t believe it’s true. I don’t believe that time will heal becoming a widow. I don’t think anything will be able to heal that. I […]
A Family Vacation
Last week I was on vacation with my children and my late husband’s family. My in-laws organized the trip as an early celebration for their 50th wedding anniversary. We spent 6 days in the Outer Banks with Tony’s parents and his sister’s family. The cousins had fun together bouncing between the beach and the pool […]
Floating On
On Thursday, my family and I paid a loving tribute to my mother when her ashes were interred with my father’s at Saratoga National Cemetery in New York. One year earlier to the day, my father’s Military Service took place at the same location on a day that was just as beautiful and warm. My […]
Writing On
This past week my plans took me to another rural community about an hour from here. There, I happened to have a conversation with a young man who was just trying to get by. As he spoke I sat in my car and listened to his story. Sometimes that is all someone needs – […]
Watching and Waiting
The Raccoon Saga Continues I think they’re gone. As I examine the clues of how they arrived, it seems they are gone. The urgency I felt (fear?) and signs of their presence brought a low level panic in my psyche. Why? Because I love animals and even though I know their presence could be […]
Plant and Grow Forth
Happy June First. The beginning of Finally Feels Like Summer in the North and Hurricane Season and High Heat in the South. For some, The First of any month also finds us saying, “Rabbit, Rabbit”, a custom that possibly originated in England in the early 1900s and is said to bring good fortune throughout the […]
Memorial Day Weekend: A Time For Reflection
The Memorial Day Weekend sort of crept up on me this year. Back in my former locale at the Jersey Shore, this weekend ushers in the official start of a short, yet very active, summer season of beaching, barbecue gatherings, boating, fishing and so many other outdoor activities. My late husband Rich, who served militarily […]
A Personal Eclipse
On April 4th, I ordered my eclipse glasses in preparation for the 2024 Solar Eclipse. Although I knew that the best places to observe were Texas, Mexico, and Canada, I would be settling for my patio in Riverside, CA. I donned my funky glasses and looked toward the sun which showed up as a fat, […]
“Ruff” Challenges and Big Dreams: A “Tail” of Two Dogs
Last Monday night, the world gained its 148th “Top Dog” when a sleek ebony hued miniature poodle named Sage took the title of Best-in-Show at the Westminster Dog Show in New York. I loved how handler Kaz Hosaka carried Sage down the hall before placing her on the ground at the entrance of the ring […]