A letter to the lady in charge
Dear Mother Nature, Normally, I wouldn’t question a single thing you do. I’m a big fan of your work. Starry skies? Awe-inspiring. Tropical waterfalls? Lovely. Trees of every shape and size? I’m a huge fan.…
His and hers vacations
For the past few years, when Tom’s work takes him somewhere I’d like to see, I get my own plane ticket and tag along so we can be weekend tourists. The writing profession might never…
When back-to-school requires packing tape
At our house, back-to-school looks like Moving Day. We’ve evolved from cute lunchboxes to U-Haul trailers. By my count, we’ve moved a kid to a dorm or apartment 12 times over the past seven years,…
The overwhelm
About a year ago, I wrote down this phrase on an idea list I keep on my phone: “How to get out from under the overwhelm.” Then those words sat there gathering digital dust. I…
Bacon tomato bliss
We got the first batch of them last weekend, and they were perfect. Red, round and luscious. Lined up in a shallow, plastic crate, they’d been placed on a sheet of old newspaper, and my…
Dog days
Friends, it’s too hot to work. Too hot to even think about work. And since we’re sweating through the “dog days” of summer, I’m turning over my keyboard this week to an actual dog with…
Clanker or collaborator?
One time when I was a kid, I was invited to play and have dinner at a friend’s house from church. She was the preacher’s daughter, so I knew the whole family. I’d already said…
Oh deer!
I had a 30-minute window of sunlight near the end of a rare, 76-degree day in late June, and I didn’t want to miss it. So I grabbed Mac’s harness and asked if he wanted…
They spell well
Friends, I hate to brag, but I think this must be said: I’ve raised dogs who are exceptionally good spellers. Despite the fact they’ve never even sniffed a dictionary, these pups have memorized exactly which…
Alarming way to start the day
By Gwen Rockwood, newspaper columnist, novelist, and mom of 3 A few months ago, I realized the first minute of the day felt consistently scary. Mornings were nothing like the peaceful, idyllic images you see…