Somewhere in an attic and/or storage facility that is not mine live three extra-large bins of Lego parts that represent the sum total of my boy's formative years. At one time each piece belonged to a set; some small, some... Read more →

A Very Nice Parable We drove the yellow-green Rambler from Michigan to Connecticut. She told us to watch the trees. We’d know we were in New England when the trees changed color and they did. As far as I know,... Read more →

Forty-nine months and a couple of days. THAT is how long it took to finish my daughter's memory quilt. The one for her wedding which was just about four years ago. Blood, sweat, and tears. I carried my heart, the... Read more →

It's 2 am and I'm an hour late. I know one of them will be waiting at the top of the stairs and it's crapshoot. My mother will be in the recliner with a book or my father will be... Read more →

It was warm enough to walk yesterday. Warm enough to walk without a hat, if you're me (I have a hood, don't panic). Well above zero and inching toward freezing. No wind to speak of. In other words, a drop... Read more →

Right out the back door I'm looking at a juxtaposition I can't quite reconcile because Phoenix doesn't see that much snow. Ever. The last time it snowed in Phoenix was 1998 and a whopping .22 inches of precipitation was measured.... Read more →

"This state has everything!" "What?" "It's got everything!" "Elizabeth. The State of Vermont has exactly nothing, which is exactly why I live here." "But the University! The Big Box stores! AND ALL THAT SHOPPING ON CHURCH STREET PLUS THE SKINNY... Read more →

Were you close? I lied and said, yes. I didn't have the right words to defend a profound grief that he didn't understand. He patted my shoulder and reminded me that this was my daughter's aunt, not mine. Her grief,... Read more →

On Thursdays, at 9:46pm the alarm on my phone scared the shit out of me for exactly one second. Maybe less. I might have lowered the volume but that would have defeated the purpose. On Thursdays, fourteen minutes before bedtime... Read more →

Sincerest apologies to Jillian Lund as I've selected an image with a CLEAR copyright indication. I'm hoping she, and or Picture Puffin Books will consider it honest advertising and forgive me. Coolest book ever. Amazon tells me the grade level... Read more →