Yesterday, while idly watching the Today Show, I was captivated by a story about a Canadian Air Force officer who led a secret life as a sex pervert/sadist/cross-dresser/murderer/scrapbooker. Yes, it was when they said that he was “scrapbooking” his crimes that I really took notice. On the screen flashed photos of this crew-cutted strong jawed [...]
Yesterday was a day of firsts. Our #1 son was home from college for fall break. Ian made pizza for dinner, then changed into formal attire to go out and meet friends. But first, he, Hugh, Chris and I had a quick game of Scrabble. Ian won – not a pure first, but the first time [...]
Ian is coming home for Fall Break! Have not seen him since late August. And he barely calls home from art school – a good sign, right? In this photo, he’s with Freddy, his steadfast friend since toddler days. Now they’re both freshmen in college….so this shot of them at the bar in Freddy’s family [...]
My cousin Jane from Santa Barbara is currently visiting us in Philadelphia. She’s like the sister I never had, and we are having a great time – talking a mile a minute, laughing our heads off, finishing each other’s sentences, comparing notes on which words and overused phrases we hate, recommending books back and forth, [...]
Yesterday my friend Caroline and I sold our vintage goods at an outdoor market on the Main Line. Buyers went wild for her 1960s clothing and collectibles. As for me, it turns out that all I should have brought to the sale was my display of vintage classroom posters and flashcards. These were far and away [...]
I love checking out advice from old how-to books, most often seen at used book sales. If the advice is wacky or weird enough, I usually buy the books, skim through them for a chuckle or two, then give them ironically as gifts, or sell them online. Last Saturday, we found two great examples: The [...]
Yesterday evening, Chris and Hugh were out at the gym. Malcolm was dozing on the couch, and I was reading a book. All was peaceful. Then the phone rang. Naturally, I had not thought to bring the portable to the living room, so had to scamper on tiptoes (so as not to wake Malcolm) into the kitchen [...]
Recent photo of my brother Richard in front of Grandpa John and Grandma Lorene’s house in Ottawa, Kansas. They built this cottage with its cat-slide roofs in the midst of the Depression. Here, they raised five children, tended gardens, cooked and baked and played piano, presided over holidays with crowds of grandchildren, showed a hundred slide shows of [...]
That headline is a song title, right? I just want to make sure everyone knows I’m referring to a formerly popular Lionel Ritchie ditty here. And if you go to a party in Bolivia or Barcelona, it would be OK to call it a “fiesta.” Nobody could stop you from saying “Vamos a la fiesta.” I’ve [...]
The other day I posted a little update on Facebook that caused a bit of a commotion. It was about how I ran into another mom at Back to School Night who seemed skittish around me. Inwardly, I was amused – because I knew that she had defriended me on FB. Her discomfort, I assumed, was [...]
