Pushing on a Rope
Family
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
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.
Sibling revelry
Catherine and I tease Basil because he likes to say, “When you see it, you see it.” Today, I saw it. At lunch with my newly discovered brother, Chris. We’d barely sat down when Chris said, “You’ve got to see the resemblance.” I admitted that while I saw a bit of it around the mouth, … Continue reading
Venus and Mars
The difference between men and women? We had 10 minutes yesterday afternoon between when I got home from my staff meeting at the Jazzercise Center where I teach, and got washed up and changed, and when we had to leave to catch the train to New York where we were taking Catherine to the Discovery … Continue reading
No time like the present
We’re in the midst of a huge transition at our house, and for a change it has nothing to do with Catherine’s stages of growth. On Wednesday, Basil retired from 35 years with the US Postal Service, leaving his official badge and 15-lb. keyring behind. I will no longer be able to hand him birthday … Continue reading
At Seventeen
Happy, happy birthday to our daughter, Catherine, who turns 17 today. As I watched her walk to the bus stop this morning (yes, I still watch out the kitchen window, every morning), I couldn’t help but remember her first steps, those chunky-monkey thighs wobbling under the effort. Her first words (Da-Da, naturally. Sigh. But many, … Continue reading
Flashback Friday: Happy Easter, Take 1
Me, on Easter Sunday 1970. I am 4 here. I have great memories of the Easter egg hunts my Mimi and Papa used to host at their little bungalow in Hawthorne, NY. All the cousins came and we were let loose in the yard to find the plastic eggs that were stuffed with goodies and … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 