Pushing on a Rope
Terri S. Vanech
Baby, you can drive my car
Consider yourself warned: Catherine passed her road test today. This former baby can now drive a car. (I can’t show you a photo of her with her license just yet. She has to wait 48 hours before she can get that at the DMV. I don’t know why, and she’s pretty sore about it.) Of … Continue reading
Stream of consciousness
At Hofstra U earlier today doing another college look-see. We took a break from the information coming at us at 90 mph; the endless parades of kids and their helicopter parents; and the spectacle of hair dye, tattoos and body piercings for a quick bite to eat in their dining hall. “Look,” I remarked, pointing … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — It must be springs!
Catherine, 11, on our then-annual vacation to Cape Cod. A million things to do on the Cape and yet we found ourselves at the Jump On Us! trampoline play site nearly every day. You know I’m going to catch hell for posting this, but having returned from a walk in the neighborhood where it seems … Continue reading
We still go together (rama, lama, lama, ka dinga da dinga dong)
When I arrived for practice with the Rye Town Community Band last night, I briefly thought I’d entered a time warp. Port Chester Middle School, where we practice, is putting on Grease. I couldn’t help but smile at the sets and the costumes neatly laid out in the practice room. (Our ninth-grade version of Greased Lighting … Continue reading
Let me have a show of hands
Do you talk with your hands? I do. If you forced me to sit on my hands while talking, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t make a sound. It was one of the things Basil and Catherine noticed when I met Pat, my first mother; we use our hands the same way when we talk. Basil … Continue reading
Going for the clean sweep
A last-minute gift of the day off turned yesterday on its head. What would I do while unplugged? Anyone who knows me even a little knows I didn’t soak in the tub, lie on the couch reading all day, treat myself to a shopping expedition or a movie. (Yes, Jacquie, I hear you groaning.) Nope, … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Beach Baby, There on the Sand
The weather here in Southwestern Connecticut flirted this week with a bit of summer and naturally got me thinking about the beach. This photo never fails to make me smile. Taken in the summer of 1997, Catherine was just over a year old and not sure she wanted to TOUCH the sand. Love those chunky … Continue reading
One of us is living the good life
It’s been just about two weeks since Basil retired, at least temporarily, and I’m pleased to report that neither of us has killed the other … yet. The transition continues for us both. I’m still not used to having him underfoot. He is not at all pleased when I refer to him as my concierge … Continue reading
Make yourself comfortable. Really.
So, we’re approaching our 20th wedding anniversary, which means most of the things we own are about 20 years old. Lately, I’ve been noticing the faded curtains; worn comforter, outdated stripes-and-flowers motif in the bedroom; the dishes that once looked so fresh and new; the bath towels that have been washed to within an inch … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Hat’s off to the man
Basil, in early 1956 judging by the size of him. He still wears that perplexed expression a lot of the time — especially if Catherine or I am talking. Thankfully, however, he’s outgrown the hat.
Pushing on a Rope 