As my mom’s life slowly unravels – her brain forgetting my name, her thoughts floating in a vast ocean of faded blues – I wish I could thank her for her cakes. Continue reading
true story
What Makes You Purr?
© Shelley Steinle, illustrator.
A year ago I lost my purr.
At the time, I didn’t think of it that way. I was suffering the side effects of a concussion. All summer long I’d been unable to enjoy the activities that helped me feel fulfilled.
- Limited screen time, which meant little to no computer/TV/Kindle/phone usage.
- Reading was difficult because of eye strain and blur.
- I mean, really, even thinking was a chore.
What’s a writer-woman to do? Continue reading
How Was Your Vacation, Erma?
Remember those first days of school, when the teacher asked you to write about your summer vacation? Did you focus on the days at the pool? The hours riding your bike aimlessly? Maybe your family drove for hours and hours to camp in mosquito-filled woods where the frog hums kept you up every night.
As I thought about my week vacation at the shore, Erma Bombeck came to mind. She found humor in the everyday calamities of life. Here’s a short synopsis of “what I did on my summer vacation.” Continue reading
Won’t You Be, Won’t You Be . . . My Neighbor?
I’m sitting on my front porch, rocking in the chair, listening to the birds chirp as I breathe in the moist morning air at 6 a.m. The sun is out, it’s already 74 degrees, and the humidity glistens on the grateful flowers. Continue reading
Scammed!
I’m home making dinner and my cell phone rings.
I check the number and groan. Phone scammers now send calls using the same area code and first three digits of a nearby town. In my case, each call says “Groton.”
No one in Groton is on my address list.
I ignore the call and sauté the onions before the phone rings again. And three minutes later, again.
Just about ready to throw the phone in the drawer and lock it up, I notice that the “scammer” has left a voice mail message. Weird. Scammers never leave a “calling card,” so to speak. Continue reading
roughwighting 