During a recent cross country road trip I witnessed one tire blow out, saw no less than four abandoned boat trailers, and was bottlenecked around a flaming pickup truck hauling a camper, upside down and jackknifed against the guardrail, with a breadcrumb trail of clothing and beach toys and trash marking its path of destruction.

I once had a dog who could tell time. More reliable than the network news, her Lassie-like prancing back and forth between the food bowl and the cupboard where her food was kept always told us it was five o’clock. “Who’s hungry?” always brought barks and a fierce tail-wagging that enthusiastically rocked her hairy body. […]

He didn’t want to do it. The job he’d been asked to paled in comparison to his passions and hobbies, fields where he was already making a name for himself. This job was repetitive, strenuous, obscure, boring and pathetic – a stranglehold. Yet when his father asked, he had to answer. He reluctantly said yes. […]

I think I have swine flu. Not really, I feel fine (well, I am a little achy) – but with all the global health warnings, it has crossed my mind. There’s just something about a pandemic that makes people nervous. I’m reminded of a former coworker who contracted every calamity reported on the nightly news […]

Ahh, sunshine! This particularly sunny morning revealed dust in places where the sun usually don’t shine – at least it hasn’t shone all winter – bringing to light the fingerprints on the furniture and billowing drifts of dog hair under the dining room table. So I started spring cleaning. I moved furniture, shook out rugs, […]

Hey,  did you hear the latest about???? If you heard it, Ms. Jones did, too. She’s especially in tune to gossip and rumor because the foundations of her world are changing. “What else will change? How will my family be affected? How can I protect myself? Are they out to get me?” she asks. There’s […]

My computer crashed while we were on vacation. This hurts me more than  my lobsteresque sunburn. I’m grieving for it, even praying for it, as  the computer techs try to recover my data. Fortunately, we had two  other laptops with us and there were two more computers where we were  staying. (It was a working […]

Ahhh, bliss. The forecast for Spring Break in Ohio is scattered snow showers, but we’re slipping down to Florida. We always choose a particular airline for its great fares and no-hassle policies. Today I’m noticing the little perks they’ve built into their personal experience. I’m sitting in a comfy leather chair. There are plenty of […]