Stories & Poems & Thoughts (Oh My)

Charles Dickens wrote the best summary of this time in his 1859 classic, “A Tale of Two Cities.” ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ ...
Read More

Tonight, we moved furniture before the State of the Union speech. My pink table, a Formica, chrome-edged find from the 50s, is now behind the sofa. The newly finished, 33-year-old ...
Read More

In summary—Hubby transplanted poison ivy around the house and onto my body. I startled a nurse. We saved my neighbor’s house from burning down, but to our collective horror and ...
Read More

To recap—I’m about to receive a needle full of stuff from a supposed nurse to medicate my well-exposed rash from Rod’s, dear hubby’s, transplanted poison ivy. I am on the ...
Read More

To recap – Rod, the rogue poison ivy transplanter, had just returned home to find my derriere covered in a rash. Straining for a looksie, I fell into the tub ...
Read More

To recap— Rod, now deceased hubby-dear, had been transplanting what he thought was a “pretty vine” throughout my garden in a historic neighborhood with an ever-watchful garden society. Rod phoned ...
Read More

The balcony of my new house looks out over a long side garden, shaggy with neglect but blooming with memories—memories of love and surprise and greenery. I am immediately swept ...
Read More

My name is Wilhelmina. I didn't pick the name -- my new caretaker did. She said to her father, "Meet your new grandchild! I named her after your mom." Do ...
Read More

Two weekends ago, through a fog of not-yet diagnosed bacterial pneumonia, I went to my first writers’ conference pitch session. Think about speed dating in hell with a lot more ...
Read More

I cannot stress enough the importance of editing your work. Let me give you an example. Excited and terrified in equal parts by the prospect of my first writer’s conference, ...
Read More