I know better.  I am a veteran cat lover and owner.  I even know it is ridiculous to say any human owns a cat because cats do what they want, and only hang with those privileged enough to make the cut. But even with all my experience I fell into the trap set for me by Pudgy.  She was semi-stretched… Read More

While not exactly a tribute to Connie Francis’ song, I thought I’d update y’all on our fish.  As you may recall our dog Booker decided to mass murder our pond fish last week.  For reasons only our fish and their little guardian fish-angels (angel fish?) know, most of them survived Bookers teeth and an extended period of time on the… Read More

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

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

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

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

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

When the flu season took hold in Minnesota this winter, one of its first fatalities was a young man named Max.  Max was just a young boy the last time we saw him, and was only seventeen when he died. Max’s parents had been active in our church as music and worship team leaders.  Eventually their family moved to Texas… Read More

Over the weekend my husband invited our husky, Booker, into the sunroom.  This isn’t unusual, but it was a fairly mild day out and Booker seemed bored by being inside. Pacing, Booker created nose art on all available surfaces as he looked for something to catch his interest.  My husband pantomimed that he should put his front paws on the… Read More

There are nine stairs from our living room area to the upper level where our bedroom and bathroom are located. I know this because my husband and I went cross country skiing this weekend and my muscles have been angry with me ever since.  Each step up–or down–causes me to reflect on how in shape I am. Or, more evidently,… Read More

I believe I’ve touched on this point before, but it happens often enough that I had to come back.  Why is it when a room is dead quiet, like during a silent prayer or while taking a test, that funny, inappropriate sounds emerge so loudly?  And, why is it those sounds then make me get the giggles at a time… Read More

The other day I was having lunch with my friend Judy.  She told me her grandson just passed his driver’s license test and was thinking about buying his first car.  That got Judy and I on the subject of cars we’ve owned and loved over the years. I told her my very first car was a 1972 Ford Maverick, a… Read More

My friend Cindy had a birthday last week.  We won’t talk numbers because those are an irrelevant marker to a life well lived.  Let’s just say Cindy is aging with a mighty beautiful patina.  This is a woman who recently wore a dress that fit her so well the term “Pippa Butt” was bandied about with envious appreciation each time… Read More

On the television show, Seinfeld, George once complained about “shrinkage” when his favorite male body part was exposed to cold ocean water.  Well, George, try living in Minnesota when the actual air temperature is “zero,” and the windchill factor drops the temperature to -15 or-20. As in below zero. I’m not a guy, but even I feel like my more… Read More

It’s such an odd feeling when your children surpass you in wisdom.  Well, okay, maybe wisdom isn’t the right word.  Maybe they know you so well that they kindly suggest your behavior isn’t in your best interest, thereby causing you to slap your head and wonder why you didn’t realize you were about to drive into a lake because the… Read More

Mary Ann laid a stunning, intricate-patterned, red doily on the dining room table. It was about the size of a large pizza, and mesmerizing in its fragile design. Her daughter, Shelley, said, “Mom! Did you do that? It’s incredible.”  Mary Ann smiled, hesitated a bit, and then said, “No. But I was hoping after I died and you were going… Read More

One strap dropped off my shoulder while I hunched a different strap into a better position. Arrgh!  I was carrying my overnight bag, my purse, my camera bag, and some slippery books my husband brought along with no intention of reading. Did I mention our hotel room was on the third floor? Lacking a Sherpa to help out, hunching and… Read More

A dear friend forwarded me this. While I’m usually resistant to chain letters so to speak, I thought the sentiment had a vein of connection worth sharing as we look to a new year: My Table of 8  I am supposed to pick 8 women who have touched my life and who I think might participate.  Please send this back… Read More

The cute and cheerful online picture of “reindeer truffles” looked easy enough to recreate, so what the heck?  I printed the recipe, purchased the ingredients, and got to work. (And no, the truffles are not made from actual reindeer parts. They just look like a whimsical candy deer head.) While Martha Stewart and I will never be mistaken for the… Read More

A cold hand reached under the blanket and touched the skin on my back.  I squeaked in protest as my sleep-state disappeared with the artic blast.  Smirking at my discomfort, or my disheveled face, or both, my husband planted kisses on me as an “until later” tribute, and headed off to work.  He’s cute even if he is a colossal… Read More

The one-to four-inches of snow forecast by local meteorologists delivered roughly fourteen inches of sticky, heavy, whiteness.  Oops!  Apparently the Doppler radar had a hiccup or the teleprompter said 1 4 which was read by the highly trained –and paid–professional weather guru as one-to-four instead of fourteen.  No matter, we were pounded, and will have a white Christmas ala Bing… Read More

This past week I received two thank you notes.  One was from my son, and one was from my daughter. Both of them are adults now, living on their own, and exceptionally good people. Sorta. My son wrote: Mom, Thank you so much for that wonderful Thanksgiving meal! It was a good time. Next year you should have 3 kinds… Read More

A powerful thirst was upon me and I selected the “Mega-Buddy” 52 0z. plastic beverage container Kwik Stop sells to quench my thirst. I wasn’t traveling on the road, I was at home, but I like to re-use plastic containers rather than tossing them into the trash. I filled the container to the top with ice, and then poured in… Read More

It was a normal morning. My head was still fuzzy from sleep, and since I’m not a coffee drinker it wasn’t going to clear up anytime soon. I was brushing my teeth in slow motion,  as if that would prevent a gob of toothpaste from falling off the brush and slithering down my pajama top like a foam avalanche. I… Read More

Booker, in perfect Siberian Husky speak, told me he wanted a little sun-room time. For those of you who have never been around a husky, they have quite a large vocabulary that is comprised of more woooowoooo’s than barks. There is inflection and emotion in their sounds, and I often laugh when he is chewing me out for some imagined… Read More

I sidled up to my husband and whispered provocatively in his ear, “Honey, how about you and me getting our crazy on?” He nodded with interest. “Okay,” I continued, “I’ll start by washing the inside windows and then I’ll catch up with you as you wash the outside windows.” His interest shrank like cold water applied to certain favorite male… Read More

The cribbage game was in the full heat of battle…men against women…and I had to pee. Not just a little, a lot. My husband and I were spending the night at my daughter and her significant other’s home, and trying to be ideal houseguests. We wanted to be invited back. I excused myself and zipped into the bathroom just off… Read More

Pudgy jumped into the suitcase as if defying me to leave without her again.  She was fine, but copped an attitude.  Had she actually missed us while we were in New Orleans? Maybe. My son had graciously agreed to care for her in our absence and I know he did a great job, but she still walked the walk of… Read More

Skreeeeech…my bike tires complained, stuttered, and skidded to a stop barely inches from the woman in front of me. We, as in a tour group on bicycles, were in a busy neighborhood of New Orleans dodging cars like kids playing a game of tag.  In preparation for this year’s Super Bowl, New Orleans has decided to rip up its streets… Read More