Mr. Grace Face A few days ago, I got one of those Facebook memory reminders (“On this day 10 years ago”). It was a post I’d written about how thankful I was that I have a husband who would go out late on a Saturday night to buy me boloney just because his wife had … Read more

Precarious Little Pit The description on my Strava app reads, “Stoked that it was the first time ever to get up and out (without stopping) of a tough-nut-to-crack, corkscrewy, rollercoastery precarious little pit on my fav whiting trail.” I didn’t have the space to add that I didn’t even try. I’d never been able to … Read more

What’s on Your Soul/What’s in Your Soul? I had just watched a viral video of an anti-masking couple who’d gone into a Eugene, Oregon bakery, it seemed, with evil “just looking for trouble” intent. X-ing out of the browser, I thought, has America just completely lost her mind? Her heart? With the hate of the … Read more

I made a mistake. Driving s l o w l y  in front of the CVS, I was checking the sign on the door to my left to see if the drug store had opened yet.  Because I was a little distracted, I failed to see–and yield–to the woman standing behind a person in a … Read more

I took this photo from the summit of our camo-green-painted, securely-fastened-to-a-tree extension ladder in our backyard. I love biking, but sometimes I throw in a step-climbing workout to mix things up. A funny thing happened one day this summer when my daughter, Cassie, was in town. Unbeknownst to me—she happened to be within earshot on … Read more

Mopes and Screams   It’s generally more socially acceptable to talk about hopes and dreams. My current reality is somewhere between mopes and screams. Based on the world’s headlines, I don’t think I’m alone.   I’m so over you, karma, the law of attraction, manifest-your-empire social media ka-ka. Just go away.   Fine. I went … Read more

Pain Pain     I’m probably going to make some people uncomfortable.   I think that’s okay.   Here goes.   Pain denied is pain doubled.   As a woman, I’ve been told (many times) by a stranger to smile. It’s generally on the street and it’s always been from men.   I usually cringe-smile. … Read more

When it’s Your Time to Go   The day began with visiting the funeral home with my sister and niece. We’d been spending the past several days tag-teaming it, caring for mom during her hospice days. Now, we sat at a round table in a room and discussed the details of her service to be … Read more

This Land is Your Land This Land is My Land   A few days ago, John and I rented the film, Land with Robin Wright. I loved it. No worries, I won’t give it away.   Much.   I hadn’t seen Gravity with Sandra Bullock in years, but John happened to be watching it with … Read more

  In episode #3 of HBO’s Mare of Easttown aired this past Sunday, there’s a scene between Kate Winslet’s character (Mare) and the mother of Mare’s six-year-old grandson (Drew), Carrie. Carrie’s in a halfway house, trying to get her life back on track, and tells Mare of her intention to regain custody of Drew (who’s … Read more