I made my once-or-twice-a-summer overnight visit to Okoboji last week. When I was younger, the visits extended over weeks at a time. My cousin, Margaret Ann, spent the whole summer with her family at their cottage and, since we are close in age (she’ll tell you I’m several months older, but she lies), I was […]
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Sometimes catching something that is highly desired involves creativity, flexibility, and even a clever sense of definition. There is a story about a salesman who wanted a dog and was driving through a rural area. A sign outside a rundown house proclaimed, “dog for sale.” The salesman knocked on the door and was introduced to […]
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Our five offspring have had a tough time with Father’s Day in the past three years since Bing died. They miss him every day, as do I, but the June celebration is a poignant reminder of what a wonderful part of their lives he was. I’ve tried to think of how to make the day […]
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Holidays , Life Lessons , Observations
Every country I have ever lived in or even visited celebrates holidays. Everyone loves holidays; workers have the day off and are usually paid for not working, students do not have to go to class, retailers sell more seasonal goods, and it’s an excuse to get together with friends and family. Sometimes I wonder if […]
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Our six-year-old grandson, Dylan, occasionally calls me on his Aunt Meg’s cell phone as they are walking back to her house from his kindergarten. Those four-block walks can take up to 40 minutes, depending on how many trolls, dragons, and princesses they meet and converse with along the way. I know, because I walked with […]
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Once again I have returned from a weekend in California. This time it was grandson Dylan’s birthday, his sixth. In March, it was his little sister, Molly’s, fourth birthday that drew me to Los Angeles. On this flight, there was no delay caused by spilled peppercorn in the airplane. Everything went smoothly. Sort of. While […]
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I have noticed recently that everything has become very specialized, and everyone is now a specialist. No one seems to be a generalist anymore with broad knowledge and breadth of capabilities. I miss generalists. General Practitioners Replaced by Specialists Recently my general practitioner doctor retired. As we age, our long-term service providers also grow old […]
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Saint Francis is, I am sad to say, a bit selfish. Not my favorite St. Francis of Assisi, who was known for his love of animals. No, I’m referring to his namesake, my little stray cat who comes to dine on our porch every night. As some of you might recall, I named her Saint […]
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