Pushing on a Rope
Terri S. Vanech
Shaking things up in 2014
It’s a new year, with a blank slate. How will you fill yours? I don’t bother much with resolutions anymore — they never end well for me. But striving for a fresh mindset seems to work — at least until the chaos really hits the fan. Living outside my comfort zone, as I have been … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — What. A. Year.
Having a few much-needed days off could be perhaps the best Christmas present of all. Briefly freed from the 5:30 am alarm clock, and the treadmill of tasks and chores, I’ve been able to catch up with friends, take stock and plan ahead, turn the events of the past 12 months over and over in … Continue reading
Merry Christmas!
From our crazy house to yours, wishing you a Merry Christmas and a 2014 full of wonderful things. Terri, Basil and Catherine
Blame it on the pie
Hindsight being 20/20, it’s all clear to me now: I should have known better. It should have been obvious that no amount of early shopping forays, wrapping on Thanksgiving or freezing a bunch of cookie dough would stave off my annual December meltdown. I hung in there pretty well for a long time. But I got … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Ghosts of Christmas Past
Some people go for an artfully decorated Christmas tree, ornaments of a particular palette, bows adjusted just so, for an evergreen that looks straight out of a decorating magazine. Those trees are lovely, but lack the kind of heart I aim for at this time of year. The ornaments on our tree are a hodgepodge, … Continue reading
Wordless Wednesday — Benched
Snowy Sunday morning at Binney Park, Greenwich
Tastes of the Season
The great Vanech Christmas Cookie Bake-off concluded last weekend with 10 varieties baked and ready. I’ve written before about how Catherine’s tree nut and egg allergies changed the face of this annual family tradition. Lots of the old standbys — Black Walnut Crescents, Queenies, Sandies — are now just for reading. I often think, in … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Sweet Stuff
Having baked til I almost dropped again today, I must flashback to December 2000, when I had a supervisor overseeing my holiday cookie creation activities. As you can see, it was a messy endeavor, and everyone that year was treated to extra sprinkles. Catherine and I had a great time. Later that day as I … Continue reading
For adoptees, it’s all about connections
As a searching adoptee, I faced a lot of questions from well-meaning people who just didn’t get it. “Didn’t you have a good childhood?” “Aren’t your parents your real parents?” “Shouldn’t you just leave it alone?” “Why rock the boat?” As I approach the year anniversary of connecting with Pat, my first mother, many of … Continue reading
Wordless Wednesday — Merry Christmas, Deer
Yesterday’s snow storm left less of the white stuff than predicted. Still, it was enough to turn the yard into a winter wonderland. …
Pushing on a Rope 