A few weeks ago an email came to us from our daughter’s significant other with a prophetic “ping.”  He wanted us to be in on some vague secretive plans he was making. Could we meet and talk? Every indication pointed to a possible marriage proposal in the making, and covert or not,  we were thrilled. After he got his “cover… Read More
Animal Nature
Wind frenzied sleet smashed against our windows with an angry hiss while I snuggled into an afghan and gave a resigned sigh. It’s April 14, for freak’n sake. When will winter move on? Yesterday the outside temperature struggled into the anemic 30 degree range, but at least the sun shone for abbreviated moments. My husband decided to take advantage of… Read More
Rock’n Robins
Our Minnesota spring has gone AWOL. Grey days, cold weather, and no real reprieve forecast has left me desperately looking for any signs of better days ahead. So far I have seen one brave motorcyclist on the highway, and my day lilies have poked their green heads about an inch out of the frigid earth. Meager offerings at best. Vexingly,… Read More
How Sweet It Was, And Is
The Case tractor spun its tires in the thick spring mud, and then jolted forward with an admirable tenacity. We weren’t stuck, yet, but the way my oldest brother was driving it seemed likely to happen at any moment. He was going too fast for the terrain, yet it was his teenage recklessness that made our errand fun. Hitched behind… Read More
!@#$%^& Cold Sores
I should have acted quicker. This morning, as a biological “April Fool’s Day†gift, I awoke to a blossoming cold sore on my lip. I HATE cold sores, and keep vigilance over potential eruptions. But this one snuck in without the usual host of symptoms…tingling in area, headache, numbness, redness, and feeling “off.†Cold sore triggers for me include: stress… Read More
Easter Memories
The young girl, maybe three years old, ran down the aisle at church. She was dressed in Easter finery—more than a bit of sparkle on a puffy pink dress—and she was crying. The pastor had asked any willing children to come to the front of the church for an Easter story. The little girl had initially walked up to the… Read More
White Sugar Blues
Chocolate chips melt into miniature puddles, the dough has little brown tinges, and the oven timer goes off. I pull the cookies from the oven and inhale the sensuous scent of sugar and sin. Baking is my Zen activity, and I hum happily. But more and more of late, people tell me not to bring my brownies, cookies, and cakes. … Read More
The Hands Of Time
Crescent shadows of dirt showed beneath ragged fingernails. His fingers were on the short side, tanned, and strong. They were also gentle when it counted. The skin on his hands was rough and landscaped with callouses thickened from hard, punishing work. I’m thinking of my father’s hands as I write this, and yet realize the same descriptions could fit memories… Read More
Happy Spring?
Cuddled beneath my two layers of blankets, I knew that spring had technically arrived. Somewhere else. It was 4 degrees outside our bedroom window with a wind chill in the below zero area. No fuzzy bunnies hopping through freshly sprouted grass, no butterflies drinking from dancing tulips in our back yard. Just lots of snow, cold, and ill-timed husbands. Uh?… Read More
Lard Sandwich Anyone?
It seems never-ending. “Experts†claim which foods are good for us and which are not. Wait a short while and, like the weather in Minnesota, it all changes. When I was young my grandmother told me her mom would pack her school lunch in a small bucket. Mostly it was fresh baked bread smeared with pork lard, and maybe a… Read More
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