Confession: Though I am quixotic enough to dream of intimate tea parties on the lawn, complete with parasols and petit fours, in the meantime this is how I do time with friends— Hey. Any chance you wanna stay for lunch when we do that photoshoot? I’ll make egg sandwiches and iced coffee. Yes! you can […]
Newsflash: My Current Reading page has fresh suggestions for your edification and amusement. ***** Observations After Watching Turkey Courtship in my Backyard The males are kind of cute when they show off. Cute in a bombastic sort of way. The females are either Extremely smart, or Extremely dumb. While Mr. Tom was strutting his stuff
Confession: You know you’re running behind When you dial the library to ask how many books Exactly Are still overdue After the boatload you sunk in their drop-slot this afternoon? And there are eight, And eight dollars and eighty cents worth of fines. You know you’re running behind When the kids say Mom, hide
Boatloads and behinds Read More »
Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! I wrote all your names on a piece of paper, cut them out, mixed them up, drew them out one by one… And chose the last name of all. (That’s biblical. The last shall be first.) Elaine is our winner. Congrats! I’m sure each of you deserved the
Profession: I have charming friends who write charming books. One is Miss Anita Yoder, my friend from Poland by way of Ireland. We met remotely—and don’t you dare think “Internet” because it wasn’t. It was a lovely old-fashioned snail mail writers’ workshop, in which we were fined a postage stamp for every day we delayed
Confession: The dress pants I bought for my son Aarick at Walmart, though perfect in size, style, and color, lacked a crucial feature requiring Post-Market Modification. I bought them knowing this. But it still took me right up until an-hour-before-his-school’s-spring-program to get down to business and modify them… No belt loops. I could not find
Black belt loops and baloney Read More »
Please meet our new puppy, Penny. She looks to me like one part beagle, one part spaniel, and one part UFO. We are overcome. Completely overcome. What do you like about April?
The tenth best thing about April Read More »
Confession: I’m a big fan of recycling, but selfish enough to insist that the process not be too laborious and complicated. When I have to start rinsing, sorting, and removing labels, I–well, I’m still a big fan in theory, willing myself to duty but growing inadvertently drafty. My town of Meadville makes it easy—accepting clear and colored
More Free Advice to Men: (Married men this time. All you single guys can breathe for now.) If you ever want to make the world drop its jaw— — and I mean really — — send your wife on a four-day trip without the kids. Your self-confidence will grow. Your wife will wrap herself around
Confession: I’ve never met so many beautiful, polite, and tastefully-dressed people in my life. Charlottesville is a lovely town. This is me and me mum having caramel Café Au Lait on the Downtown Mall. I called it caffe ow late, but the barista never blinked. In my town I say sir and ma’am when the