My mom lives in my sister’s guest house. My sister was having the guest house painted and thought my mom might like a little vacation. We were happy to have my mom visit for a week. I flew back with her and stayed for a mini vacation of my own. The two residences are home to […]
I caught my dog staring in the mirror this morning. I knew what he was thinking. “My fur is too dark and short. This white on my face makes me look like an old dog. My paws are too small, my legs are skinny and my tail is too floppy. My ears are trying to […]
I once worked with a lot of Israelis at a company in Jersey City. After one Memorial Day, one of the men asked me why people celebrate Memorial Day. You go to the beach, open your pools, have barbecues. I don’t understand it. I told him that people remember the fallen with parades and planting […]
My stories are a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Some of the fiction from when I was young came from my brother, Jimmy. He came to conclusions based on observations. Or maybe he thought making up stories for me was somehow entertaining. A few years ago, while sitting around the table at my sister’s, I […]
I just bought a little tub of nonpareils at Trader Joe’s. They’re small dark chocolate discs covered in white sprinkles. The cashier said “These are delicious!” as he slid them over the scanner. “My daughter doesn’t like them, and she just brought some home, so guess who they’re all for?”, he continued with a big smile […]
My brother married Judy. I thought, what? A girl from Oklahoma? Growing up in New Jersey and never travelling anywhere at that point in my life I didn’t know anything about other states. People often say Americans think this and/or Americans act this way and some of that is true. But American states have their […]
It’s funny sometimes how childhood memories surface. My grandfather owned a rather large duplex with a little store at the front. Next door was a formidable house made out of stone with a huge back covered porch. The stone seemed to keep the heat at bay on summer days which were the only days I […]
Lately I bought several things that shrank after washing them. I purchased them in nice shops, so I wasn’t expecting it. But they’re only clothes that hopefully will make someone else happy. Surprisingly the latest incident brought back some pleasant memories. My mother did her best with very little resources. How she managed to buy […]
When I was seven years old I knew I was Catholic. I knew my grandmother was very Catholic. I was born Catholic, but she lived Catholic. She always wore a dress and platform heels. But on Sundays, the dress was just a bit finer and the heels fancier. The styles were the same. Her everyday shoes […]
My son has always been a bit of a hypochondriac so, at 16, when he told me he was seeing spots in front of his eyes, I didn’t believe him. “That only happens in cartoons.” I said. But the next day he woke up and half of one eye was solid red. We were living […]