Women's Issues Midlife And Beyond
The art fair wound down and customers drifted towards the generous tasting counter at North Folk Winery. It was, after all, “cocktail-thirty,†as my friend Janice says. Nearby, music wafted from a tent shading a potpourri of musicians and hip-shaking guests. It had been a sunny day, a good day, but it was time to put away our scarves, photography,… Read More
“I’m calling you a slut, slut, because you are one.†The young man hissed his judgment at a female companion as they walked through a local Target parking lot. There were six teenagers in the pack, I’m guessing one or two years shy of having their driver’s licenses.  They were being boisterous, as if wanting attention and yet defying anyone… Read More
“We’re having Buddha Bowls for supper,†said my normally understandable daughter. “Sound’s crunchy,†I thought. “I wonder if the bowls will be a tasty porcelain or a more filling Zen-like ceramic?†Oblivious to my snarky musings, she disappeared into the kitchen humming a riff of Blondie’s Call Me. Within minutes a sweet, spicy, aroma had me salivating, and Call Me was… Read More
Maybe You Really Can’t Go Home Thistles raked my skin, and I realized how foolish I was to wear shorts and flip-flops in a pasture gone wild. Too late now! I pushed forward through grass that looked down on my head, and had me praying I wouldn’t surprise a bear taking a late summer nap. My quest was to find… Read More
That is the question my son asked me recently. While he’s too old to put into a time out, I did give him the silent, from afar, “look.†You know, the Mom Look that is capable of wilting the most evil of souls? I think I’ve explained this before, but it’s worth repeating. The reason I have a weekly post… Read More
Picture this—a low-slung convertible that equates to sex on wheels is being driven down a scenic highway. The driver is wearing Ray-Bans, a smile, and an “I love my life†smile. Riding shotgun in the passenger seat is a dog. Maybe a dog wearing a scarf, or bandana, or even goggles…which I think should be called doggles… or maybe the… Read More
Clint Eastwood’s iconic spaghetti western, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly has been around forever (if forever is circa 1966). That said, I never watched the film until this past weekend, and it got me thinking about what other snippets of life come into those categories. How about carrot cake (good), lima beans (BAD), and calf brains (ugly)? Just… Read More
He wondered what kind of life it would be, having to keep swimming all the time to stay exactly in the same place. Pretty similar to his own, he decided.†― Terry Pratchett, The Color of Magic The patio umbrella slowly creaked open inch by inch despite the gusto used while cranking the handle. Just as the canopy reached its… Read More
“When a caterpillar bursts from its cocoon and discovers it has wings, it does not sit idly, hoping to one day turn back. It flies.†― Kelseyleigh Reber Kitty litter buckets make iffy watering pails. Sure, they’re big enough and sturdy enough, but the handles are floppy and nine times out of ten I end up spilling water—cold from the… Read More
The wind was on a mission this day. I rather liked walking into it because it gave me an instant face-lift. It also pulled off tufts of our dog’s loose hair…the stuff I keep trying to remove by brushing but he keeps squirming away…and the air took on a white blizzard appearance. Booker and I made it to our usual… Read More
I’m a glass half full kind of woman. In fact, just this week my husband brought a half-full glass of water into my car and it somehow managed to get spilled on my passenger seat. Therefore, every time I got in and out of the car—which was frequently—the seat of my pants were soaking wet. I suspect people thought I… Read More
One wheel of the lawnmower barely touches the ground, leaving the other three to passive-aggressively complain by not turning evenly. I might also mention this particular lawnmower only starts if it feels the outdoor temperature suits its purpose. Oh yeah. We also have to Velcro the throttle down so it will keep going, and other switches stopped working and have… Read More
Have you ever gone to a wedding and had a feeling that the couple was doomed to a short-lived romance? I have. And while I won’t give dates or names, more often than not my premonitions came true. Happily, I have also been to weddings where the couple was so obviously in love that time was only going to enhance,… Read More
My arms were almost elbow deep in dishwater suds.  “Why do I have to do this when I have a dishwasher?” I wondered.  Nonetheless, scrubbing the non-dishwater friendly object gave me a moment to appreciate all the items that do go in the dishwater, and a chance to gaze outside the window on a busy day.  It was  sunny, windy, and… Read More
The smell of coffee. The sound of bacon crankily snapping in the pan. WCCO on the radio. Dad is home.  I loved those weekend markers. My father worked as a construction foreman, which meant he was not home Monday through Friday.  Mom, in her independence, kept the farm running and my siblings and I herded. She didn’t drink coffee, and… Read More
I write it down and then lose the list. I put tasks and appointments on my computer calendar and then forget to back up my iPhone so I can’t/don’t get the reminders. ARGH! Life is so busy that I spend more time creating reminders to do the things I need to do than actually getting the jobs done. How is… Read More
Big Foot trying on Nike running shoes. Aliens eating ice cream and waving from the window of a UFO. A cat obeying its human. These would be amazing photographs, right? However, those of us who love photography know the odds of actually having a camera in hand and ready to go when once-in-a- lifetime photo opportunities occur are rare. Very,… Read More
People mean well.  They do.  While my husband and I were on vacation recently I was asked by another couple if would take there picture.  They wanted me to get the horizon as well as their two smiling faces.  The woman handed me her smart phone and I obliged.  I think I even squatted to get the best angle and managed… Read More
My husband and I returned from a three-week vacation…a week ago. There were ups and downs—everything from being pick-pocketed in London to meeting truly fascinating people—and memories made. Taken as a whole, even with the good, bad, and ugly, we would go on the trip again in a heartbeat. However, one of the souvenirs I brought back was a nasty… Read More
As the calendar turns to May, my gardening urge gets restless and hungry. The irony is that by July I’ll be weary of lugging pail after pail of water to the container plants. I’ll feel guilty that I’m not doing a better job of harassing the weeds, and even more guilty that the green beans are starting to look like… Read More
My life seems to come in waves. I’ll spend a frenzied amount of time working on my scarves, then my cards, then my photography, then my gardens, then my                     . I’m always trying to attempt balance while swinging wildly from activity… Read More
The smell is what I imagine heaven’s room deodorizer would be like…heady, intoxicating, and addictive. The kind of smell you’d take deep gulps of, and then take some more. Until the lilacs bloom, hyacinths are my euphoric scent. I’ve written about my love of hyacinths in the past, but wanted to update my romance. Every year, around February, pots of… Read More
It started with a headache. Then it spiraled into a spring head cold that I do NOT want. In an effort to minimize symptoms I’ve been hitting the thyme tea, thyme honey, and extra-dosing on vitamins. Before going to bed I’m taking a generic version of Nyquil that puts me out quicker than a cat about to upchuck a fur… Read More
Truly, we know that we cannot really subsist on little sips of life. The wild force in a woman’s soul demands that she have access to it all. ~ Clarissa Pinkola Estés
What brings you peace? Is it a moment, a space, a place, a face? How does it feel to you? Our church has put out a challenge that I’m enjoying. Each week during the fifty days of Easter our pastor—Linda Frieson—gives the congregation a word to “discover†during the week. We are to heighten our awareness of “the word†and… Read More
The night before my birthday I asked my husband if he minded waking up with an older woman. He said he was looking forward to it because it meant I would be even more interesting, more laced with experience, and more complex.  Then he said he’d better stop talking before he said something I would misconstrue. He knows me so… Read More
Traffic zoomed by us, distracted and weary. It was late afternoon; the sun played peek-a-boo with a few low hanging clouds, and the wind was downright rude in its behavior. My studley husband had our dog, Booker, on leash as I walked alongside trying not to get tangled in the twenty-six feet of retractable line. Booker likes to weave, and… Read More
Okay. It’s not the catalog itself I envy it’s the story being told inside the front and back covers. I can think of two catalogs that I admire far beyond the merchandise carried, and I like the merchandise. A lot. Which two? Duluth Trading Company and Toms. Duluth Trading Company often uses real women who do real “hands on work  Read More
Do you ever come across something while you’re supposed to be doing something productive, and get lost in a memory? For instance, let’s say somebody whose name rhymes with “Sail†is cleaning a closet. (I know, I know. My closets hold their clutter like a pregnancy in its twelfth month. Just go with me here and stop rolling your eyes.)… Read More
So. I was having one of those days where I felt emotionally wonky. One moment I was feeling saucy, and the next I felt like crying. There didn’t seem to be a connection or catalyst to my swings, so I applied my “one term fits all” solution…hormones. It had to be my hormones misbehaving. Again! When my husband came… Read More
