Grace Under View     We sometimes debate whether a professional comic went too far to make a joke or a point. The argument is like Ping-Pong. What’s vile, what’s funny, what’s mean, what’s PC, what’s art, what’s provocative, what’s smart—whatever. This post is not about that. It’s just not.   This … Read more

Shorties at the Bar     With two empty seats between us, I sat on a stool at one end of the bar dividing the kitchen and dining room, and my dad sat on the other end, his feet barely touching the ground. Figuratively speaking, he had “the floor.” My mom stood spaced between the … Read more

Ponytail Tale   I must keep Goody Ouchless Elastics in business. I lose these ponytail bands all the time and everywhere. I’ll often see one on the ground in public—I spot them in foreign countries and sometimes on the concrete floor in Costco—and I wonder if it’s mine.   It goes without being said that … Read more

Sacred It was a couple of weeks ago when I sat in a Portland Baja Fresh choking back tears over my Diablo burrito and having a devil of a time. (For the record, this was the first time I’d gone to a chain restaurant in Portland after years of dining there. If you don’t understand … Read more

See   See, this is what I’m talking about:   “We get so preoccupied with ourselves, the words we speak, the plans and projects we conceive that we become immune to the glory of creation. We barely notice the cloud passing over the moon or the dewdrops clinging to the rose leaves. The ice on … Read more

I am Glad   Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.–Helen Keller   I’m leaving Portland today. While I spent the past two weeks celebrating the blessed event of my first born grandbaby, I also celebrated my birthday a little, too. This mostly meant justifying eating my way through this foodie town most evenings. … Read more

Carry-on “Grand-son” sounds a whole lot like “carry-on.” (As in luggage.) Coincidence? I think not. #carpebaby When it registered in my heart that my time here in Portland meeting and bonding with my first grand baby was drawing to a close, things got real real fast. As I’m typing this little note with one thumb … Read more

  I’ll be honest. I don’t like growing old. But I like growing old with John.   John’s in charge of coffee. 99% of the time, he sets the pot for morning the night before. When I wake up, there’s usually a steamy mug waiting for me if he’s awake first. If it sat too … Read more

Fresh Laundry in Opposite World   Turns out, counter intuition is the ticket. We get the message to “trust our gut.” Maybe sometimes that has value, but I’m not sure. I find more and more that if I do the opposite of my first instinct, it turns out to be the right choice. Some people … Read more

Oh, The Places You’ll Go!   John and I really didn’t travel much (geographically) until 2004 or so. But now that we can, we both have a touch of the wanderlust. I love that we’re both adventurers—simpatico—whole-heartedly embracing the world around us. We are so compatible that way. When we’ve heard other couples talk about … Read more