I have an old mother and an old dog. My dog lives with me. My mother lives in a nursing home four miles away, and I am her Primary Person. In the abstract, being Mom’s main person is a huge honor and I know full well how lucky I am to still have her. In reality, I’ve … Continue reading Old mothers, bad daughters, & therapeutic books
Category: lifestyle
The dishes are back in the cupboards, the leftovers have been safely stowed in the refrigerator, the dog has been walked and another American Thanksgiving is about to be in the rear-view mirror. I have a writing deadline, and I really want to get this house set up and in order. We moved in while … Continue reading Write more, own less
So, this weekend we were going to drive to Chicago to see Sweetheart’s brother, Tommy, who is playing an angry bass player in “Dee Snider’s Rock-n-Roll Christmas Tale.” I’ve been looking forward to it since June, when he’d got cast. Tommy is a ridiculously talented singer, actor and bass player who’s done a fair bit of work locally, … Continue reading Tommy in Spandex (with pictures)
Last year, Leonard Cohen did something I never thought would happen in a gatrillion years. He played a show in my city. I owe my Cousin-by-Choice Peter a huge debt of gratitude for that, because Peter’s the promoter who got him here. Turned out that Sweetheart had never heard of Leonard Cohen, which I discovered when … Continue reading Leonard Cohen, Suzzy Roche and parties
Once upon a time, say this past July, a hungry, tired couple riding their motorcycle from Alberta to Wisconsin checked into a fabulous hotel in Billings. The restaurants in the hotel were closed. So they walked down the street and into the Montana Brewing Company. The place was hopping, full of white people being waited … Continue reading A gluten-free fairy tale, starring Montana
So, today was a frustrating day on multiple First World fronts. I’ll spare you the details of all but one occurrence. Mid-afternoon, as I was fruitlessly trying to find a copy of Annie Proulx’s “Accordion Crimes,” which was at no bookstore - and the library was closed - I gave up and went to the grocery store. … Continue reading Annie Proulx, awards banquets and other First World problems
So, Tuesday was Election Day and we all woke up the next morning here in the US either depressed beyond belief or jubilant. Neither one is a very healthy state to maintain over time. Truth is, the world is kind of a scary place these days. What with beheadings making an unfortunate comeback, income inequality, climate change, the … Continue reading Out from under the bed, with a couple of books
I don't remember life without books. According to my mother, I wore out five copies of "Pat the Bunny" before learning to read - which I did before starting kindergarten. This did not endear me to Mrs. Ferris, my kindergarten teacher ("Kindergarteners aren't supposed to read"). It especially did not endear me to my first-grade teacher, Helen Zoeckler. I spent … Continue reading Me & Books (with a preface about Flying Erasers and other dangers of education)
So, today my piece about my daughters' weddings came out, and people who have read it have had very kind things to say. I wrote - and meant - that I have never been in a hurry to see my children get married and reproduce. Most of that has to do with them, and respect for their … Continue reading Weddings
the sentence factory 