One Question Answered…
Whale oil. Climbing spiral stairs with whale oil. Constant danger. Ahem. Pa-lease. Have you ever met me?
It’s a Love Thing
But the thing with a sick baby is you feel completely out of control. This human being that you created, that you love more than life itself, is suddenly facing an unknown enemy – and has to fend it off, mostly by themselves.
I Can See the Light
I can imagine a rocky shore with my lighthouse alone on the point – overlooking the craggy cliffs below. It would be tall and white with a red door and black shutters. Or maybe it would all be muted blue and gray. During the summer there would be window boxes filled with bright pink geraniums and deep purple lobelia.
All Gussied Up
Here, if you say you’re not a big fan of the holidays, no one even gives one crap. Its like – ‘hm…cool’, and then the conversation moves on. You say that in Utah, and you are regarded as the anti-Christ. People will argue…’but it’s the happiest time of the year!” and “What are you, the Grinch?” and ‘only depressed people don’t like Christmas’.
Rocky and Annie
The thing that Bassets and St. Bernard’s have in common? Well, they’re adorable…but the commonality is DROOL!!
And Speaking of Grand…
Every single one of those people is the center of their own universe. I think about this frequently - especially when I’m in the huge crowds in NYC. We are each at the epicenter of ourselves. Everything we think about is focused on how we are affected by things, how we feel, how we interpret the thoughts.
The Prince(ss) of Peas
If you’ve ever sung in a choir, you know the tricks for making the words intelligible and not annoying to the listener. A real pet peeve for choir directors are "esses". If one singer starts to put an ‘s’ on a word too early, it sounds like the snakes of the world have arrived.
Phoenix Phoebe
How can phoenixes be extinct if there is one right outside my window in New Jersey? How can Google say that they’re the size of an eagle, peacock or ostrich? Anyone could see with perfect clarity that it was no more than a foot tall.
Ferry with a Cherry on Top
When my brother and sister and I would fight, my parents would band together and (tunelessly) belt out the old Mormon hymn “When There’s Love at Home……” Oh my gosh, that made us crazy!! They would go on and on until we would surrender and we would all dissolve into laughter.
Sky Blue Pink
I want to be remembered as funny, and brave, and independent and dependable. I want to be the fun grandma, mom, aunt and sister. I want people to laugh about our inside jokes, the crazy word games, my cruciverbalism. I want them to admire the fact that I can live independently, courageously, and am not afraid of many things (except tuna salad from a restaurant).
The Resilient Ladies
I think the key is to be open to new experiences. Don’t let fear keep you home and hiding behind locked doors. Life is for living and exploring.
It’s All Greek to Me!
I hopped off the bus, and entered into a magical land. I spent the day in the downtown markets, filled with all things Byzantine, leather, gold, sculpture, I felt like I found my own ‘Diagon Alley’.
Effervescently Joyful
The more space we give to things that hurt, the more space they’ll take. So reclaim your inner peace. Find at least one thing each day that stirs up a happy feeling. Acknowledge it and let it float around freely in your mind, knocking negativity aside.
Lake Placid and the Red Tree
This was the first time that I could just relax and be still - er…placid? I wasn’t worried about anyone falling down, or crashing a car, or contracting an illness - I was just calmly able to enjoy the beauty of my surroundings and soak up the calm that magical place gently exuded.
Oh, Hoboken!
The ferry station was opened in 1907 - when my grandma was 2 years old. I love to imagine in the 1910’s, men and women dressed up to go on the ferry, meeting at the ferry station. Maybe they would meet there to elope, or go on a secret rendezvous.
Flowers, Flowers Everywhere!
She never met a flower she didn’t like - except perhaps calla lilies, which she deemed to be funeral flowers. She grew flowers, she bought flowers, but most importantly - she received flowers - every two weeks for about the last 30 years.
The Sailboat That Maybe Shouldn’t Have…
There it was, not solemnly floating along, but thrashing about, trying to get in control of all of the sails and all of the pieces. As the big ships were nearing, the flailing got more pronounced.