There is another house for sale in our neighborhood. This time it is a 4 bedroom, 2 ½ bath Colonial style with a fully finished basement. Nicely landscaped. Fenced in back yard. Upgraded kitchen. A million delightful family memories await, from Homecoming pictures on the stairs to a majestic Christmas tree in the front room to freshly baked chocolate cookies gently cooling on the granite island.
This is perhaps the fourth or fifth home we have seen listed within just the last few months in our subdivision. We live in a modest suburb located about Read more…
Ah, the summer of 2009. This was the first season that we took our RV-ing rather seriously and made consistent family outings in the 34 foot Coachman Aurora that we called home for days at a time. When first approached by Scott with the prospect of family camping, I was more than a little bit skeptical. My family history included not tents, campfires and open air cooking, but rather charming hotels, visits to historical landmarks and sampling local cuisine. My parents were decidedly not campers.
Scott, on the other hand, savored joyous family memories of camping, chasing fireflies, catching fish that was doomed to be family dinner and non-stop outdoor fun. In theory, it all sounds Read more…
Slumped down in the padded metal hospital chair, surrounded by predictable beeps, Melody felt like the biggest phony in the world. Her father’s frail and nearly lifeless body lay only 3 short feet from her, yet the connection she should feel was nearly absent.
She was pretty sure there relationship was always this vacant, but was too completely exhausted to engage in any self-analysis today. Glancing down at her watch she noted it was 3:25. Had she really been there for nearly twenty-four straight hours? Read more…
I have, once again, been accused of not having “Family Values” because of my declaration of being not only a registered Democrat, but (heaven help us!) a Liberal Democrat at that. This is becoming so very tiresome and also concerns me that people paint each other with such wide brushes. Further, it got me to thinking about what, exactly, are “Family Values” and why do I not have any? The general opinion is that Republicans have ‘it’ and Democrats…eh, not so much.
“Family Values” is a feel good phrase, bandied about primarily during elections. Visions of Momma in an apron Read more…
Slivers of light piercing slumber
Awakening not gentle nor kind
Screaming box that taunts
Begging to be shattered
Burying, hiding, unaccepting Read more…
As a ferocious wave of heat and irritation threatens to overwhelm me, Scott leans in for a kiss and protracted hug at 7:30 this morning before heading out for work. His loving touch feels like a woolen blanket smothering me.
“Stop it,” I bark at him in a tone that even I don’t recognize, “or at least make it quick and don’t linger!!”
“Believe me, Honey, I won’t”, Scott retorted and sullenly headed towards the door.
His mood already dampened even my reassuring yelp of “I love you!” Read more…
My family can’t multi-task and it is driving me more than a little bit crazy. The other day I was stirring oatmeal on the stove with my right hand while unloading the silverware from the dishwasher with my left hand pondering just what to do with these Read More...
I was wrong and I will be the first to admit it. When Scott proposed that we take this our Illinois-to-Colorado vacation in an RV I was more than a little bit hesitant. This gigantic apartment on wheels belonged to my now deceased father-in-law and since my surviving mother-in-law does not drive, it just sat helplessly on their driveway for the past few years.
This thing is a monster. Long and sleek, featuring a bathroom with shower, full bed, couch, microwave, air conditioning, flat screen TV, DVD player and more. Far from roughing Read more…
“Dad Lured Son Home, Then Shot Him”
This is the headline I am confronted with as I peruse online news sources hoping for a Michael Jackson tidbit, or something about Michelle Obama’s new shoes. Violence has been a part of American society for an eternity, but it seems that in recent months people are more apt to act out violently towards their own loved ones. In some cases, it is a result of helplessness and misery over the recent economic crisis that continues to cast a shadow over this great country. People that don’t want to go down alone, opt to take everyone dear with them. Read more…
So, you want to make your own fortune and host a garage sale? Good for you! Whether your intention is to make a little spending money or just thin out the herd of stuff you’ve accumulated, early summer is a great time to have your sale. Based on my recent sale experience, I am poised to offer you some priceless tips. Not the normal put-balloons-by-the-street advice…something really useful that you may have not heard before.
RECRUIT THE TROOPS: You can never have too many people milling around and helping out with the small details (think refilling Read more…
I am sitting on the floor of my bedroom, feeling very much like a drug dealer. $20 bills, $10 bills, $5 bills, even the occasional $50 bill spread on in front of me creating a carpet of dark green. I count and recount. “This can’t be right!”, I whisper to only myself. I can hear the calls of my family from the floor below me, demanding a final total…desperate to know if their hard work had paid off at all.
$399.00. Yes, three hundred ninety nine dollars. This, my friends, is the final total from day one of our garage sale. This morning I was hoping Read more…
Against my better judgment, I have begrudgingly agreed to participate in our annual subdivision garage sale. Visions of strangers manhandling my previously prized possessions, scowling at the mere thought of the $2.00 asking price for an impeccable Ralph Lauren blazer and trying to negotiate the price of a dog-eared Dora The Explorer book down from twenty five cents to ten cents are already dancing in my head. What am I getting into here?
For the last week or so I have been digging through closets and cabinets in search any little thing I can offload. This has my family more than a little bit worried Read more…
Another weekend is coming upon us, 48 full hours of (almost) unscheduled time. Who doesn’t drive home from work on a Friday after an exhausting week of being at the mercy of someone else, plotting and planning how to fill these two precious days. “The laundry, definately need to get caught up on that”, “I need to finally write the letter to Aunt Mable I have been putting off”, “I need to learn to make homemade spaghetti sauce” and on and on. You feel giddy, like a kid, being able to call this time all your own.
As it turns out, Sunday evening comes and you still have a full laundry basket, the letter remains un-written and your poor family continues to suffer through jarred spaghetti sauce. Where did the time go? What did you do?
If you had been in the office Read more…
Congratulations, it’s a boy. A big boy! A 49 year old boy. And it seems as though the job of raising him, shaping him, molding him, caring for him and guiding him is endless. No, it’s not my husband. He is pretty well fashioned, no real work (thankfully) to do there. This is my oldest brother, Alan, and it seems as though he will just never grow up. From as far back as I can remember he has been the “baby” of the family, although from a chronological perspective I hold that position. Read More...
