I spent Tuesday night with some old white men here in Milwaukee, and they weren’t Republican presidential wannabes. Not only did we get to see Peter Yarrow and Noel Paul Stookey on stage, but after the show, we got to go backstage and hang out with them. Well, mostly we hung with Peter. And we did … Continue reading A vote for harmony and service: Skipping the Republican Debate to sing and tie a shoelace
Category: Family history
My sister and I were in our teens when we became members of a group I have come to refer to as “The Dead Father’s Club.” It’s one that few people join voluntarily, though there are exceptions (I’m talking to you, Lizzie Borden and Brian Blackwell). Among its current members are my children, their (step)siblings (who … Continue reading Meeting minutes: ‘Dead Father’s Club’ subcommittee discusses the lighter side of ‘Father’s Day Brunch’ ads
Last summer, I gave myself a gift. My friend Judy was offering a four-week writing workshop. I went on-line and registered. She’s one of the Writer’s lunch writers, owner of Redbird Writing Studio and the author of “Shut Up & Write.” It was everything I hoped for and then some. You can draw a straight … Continue reading Just me, at a writer’s retreat weekend, or “Three seismic paragraphs and a sandhill crane”
When it came to fighting styles, my sister and I were not well-matched. When we were very young, (I remember the baby gate in front of her bedroom door and other places in the house) and she upset me, I’d complain to my mother about whatever it was Debby was doing. “Tell her not to,” Mom would … Continue reading Boot tracks across her winter coat and my severed finger: An Application for Entry to the Sister Fight Hall of Fame
Friday is the first night of Passover, one of the bigger holidays on the Jewish calendar. I’ve been hosting since before Mom moved to Milwaukee, but since she’s been here there’s no way I’d ever be able to think of not hosting. This will be the first Seder in years I haven’t had at least … Continue reading The Great Millennial Mashup Family Seder of 2012: A story of deliverance from slavery
I don’t remember the exact point when my father announced that dating non-Jewish boys was off the table for my sister and me. It was before I started high school. Dad’s explanation was simple. Refusing to officiate at weddings in which the bride or groom wasn’t Jewish (if the bride or groom converted before the … Continue reading Teenage dating bans and skewed ‘benchmark Jewish male’ standards: A Dispatch from Misfit Hell
It's been 41 years since the day my father dropped my sister and me at school. Neither of us knew that would be the last time we saw him. Debby was in eighth grade and got dropped first. I was a freshman in high school, so got an extra six minutes of one-on-one time. What … Continue reading Memories of a futureless present in Urban Bucolica: a yahrzeit post about last words
Things are a little hectic here in Flyover Country at the moment, so I am going to post a photo of my dog inspecting the bouquet of birthday flowers my sister and her family sent Mom, who turned 87 this week. Mom is not the only senior citizen in our family. Tuki, the aforementioned dog, … Continue reading Tuki: My heart on four legs
Saturday night, Sweetheart and I got ready to settle down on the couch for a night of hard-core TV watching. We’d done the grocery shopping, mom-visiting and dog-walking earlier in the day, because a snowstorm was in the weather forecast. Mushroom pie was in the oven, kale salad and a berry pie were in the fridge. … Continue reading Forget the Patriots & Seahawks. Around here, winning means a working furnace and no pogroms
When Debbie Friedman died four years ago, the whole Jewish world stood up and paid attention. I’d been paying attention to Debbie my whole life, because she was nine when I was born and our mothers are sisters. That first year after she died, pictures kept showing up on Facebook, synagogues were singing her songs … Continue reading Debbie Friedman, number eight of Bubby & Zaydie’s 15
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