Pushing on a Rope
Terri S. Vanech
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
With apologies to The Four Tops, it’s not the same old song
Every job has occupational hazards. For example, I accept that I will copy edit every piece of writing I see from now until the day I die, even though I stopped working as a journalist in 2009. But a ride in the car with Catherine earlier this week underscored a newer job-influenced habit I had … Continue reading
Here’s an offer to sink your teeth into
CVS is so thoughtful: They sent me a coupon for denture cream. I’d love to know which of my purchases triggered that marketing miracle. Was it the Band-Aids? The many vats of shampoo I’ve purchased over the years? The holiday cards, disposable razors or deodorant? That impulsive bag of M&Ms? The feminine care products?! Does … Continue reading
Watching my disappearing act
I’m becoming irrelevant. It began happening years ago, and slowly, but surely, it’s picked up speed. I’m feeling a little like the Cheshire Cat, except instead of watching me dissolve into a grin, you’ll soon find an empty wallet where I used to be. Years ago, the letting go was cause for a mother’s celebration: … Continue reading
For an adoptee, a few paragraphs bring hope … and validation
It’s been a heck of a week for Jeff. Jeff was born in 1965, nearly a year before me, and discovered at age 41 that he was adopted. Trying to sort out your identity when you’re adopted is difficult enough; I can’t begin to imagine what it must be to process that news in midlife. … Continue reading
You got the money, honey…
You might want to rub my husband for luck. Just a few weeks after he stupified me with an unexplained white envelope containing $50 (read about it here), he has won a second football pool. Apparently, the beer drinking has unexpected rewards. You’ll recall that he was so excited over his inaugural win that we … Continue reading
Oh crap! I blinked
I’ve always been a little smug about all that unsolicited parenting advice. Everyone warned me — sometimes more than once — that time would speed by, that Catherine would be all grown up before I knew it and I’d better pay attention. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Don’t waste your breath, because I will never miss … Continue reading
A fair to remember
Forgive me if I punctuate every conversation for the next few days with, “You get green beans and a salad with that. Enjoy!” I said it for more than seven hours straight last night at our fair at The Church of the Archangels in Stamford. Yes, the ladies there let me near the food (they … Continue reading
It’s all fun and games until the spaghetti hits the floor
It’s funny how life comes full circle. This weekend I’ll be busing tables at our church fair, and 30 years ago I was busing tables, at The Tarry Lodge, a landmark family restaurant in Port Chester, NY, where I grew up. (It’s now a chi-chi place run by Mario Batali, but when I was a … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 