Pushing on a Rope
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Slice of life in the midst of the hurricane
It was a dark and stormy day. I worked hard playing “beat the power outage.” Catherine did the same with all her homework. And Basil helped make sure the mail kept moving. As of now, we still have power, but it’s been flickering all day. (And went out a couple times briefly.) Next door, a … Continue reading
Ready to ride out the storm
OK, we’re ready. Batteries, bottled water and nonperishables purchased, flashlights checked, laundry’s done, lawn furniture and sundries packed away. We’ve checked in on our parents and neighbors, watched Catherine do the “no school for three days” happy dance, got a jump on some work — just in case the power poops out — and went … Continue reading
Keepin’ it classy on our first campus tour
I can’t believe I’m typing this, but it’s true: Tomorrow, we take Catherine to her first college open house. This person: (now this person): is starting to look at colleges. It’s an early look — to a get a lay of the land. Having just started junior year of high school a couple of months … Continue reading
Powerless against the surge of storm warnings
You ready for Frankenstorm? As a rule, I like a little weather. A rainy day is good for the soul, and I’m not above wishing for a snow day, even this early in the year. But all the hullaballoo over Hurricane Sandy has me smh (that’s shaking my head, for those without teenagers to translate). … Continue reading
Boo-hoo.
I thought ages 4-12 months brought a lot of changes, what with the sitting up, solid food, rolling over, crawling, standing, learning to talk. But that was only because I didn’t know all the milestones that teen years would bring. All the obvious physical changes, of course. And the removal of braces. Now the driving … Continue reading
A Cheerio that didn’t leave him ‘Broken Hearted’
You know that old saw about the way to a man’s heart? It’s apparently true, and hard-wired from birth. I saw it in action this morning with two toddlers during the coffee hour at church. She wandered the hall in her beautiful dress, tip-toeing in her Mary Janes with their satin bows, one hand firmly … Continue reading
Today’s unexpected door prize
Funny how things are connected. This coming Thursday, my godson, Dominic, will have his Eagle Scout court of honor. I’m very proud of him and more than a little upset that I can’t zip up to Rhode Island to congratulate him in person. Instead I was able to mark the occasion closer to home when … Continue reading
All it’s cracked up to be
As I’ve said many times before, I rely on humor to get me through. Whether it’s in the wake of near disaster (read about that here, here or here) or to navigate the mundane — like this, the ridiculous (like this event here) or some other nonsense (like those two different shoes, which are still dogging me), … Continue reading
Teaching Mom to phone home
Most of us are so tied up in technology that we don’t stop to consider that the whole world isn’t clicking and swiping all day long. Some people — my parents among them — still manage to live unplugged save for a standard-issue cell phone. We decided to change that recently. For a little while … Continue reading
C is for cookie. It’s good enough for me.
Catherine and I put the new oven through its paces today and the result is a house that smells like heaven. With the church youth group potluck tomorrow, we offered to bring two batches of cookies and that meant hitting the kitchen. We never buy bakery treats because Catherine is allergic to nuts and must … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 