The Tire Pressure (Opa)Lite

November 8, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

A couple weeks ago, the tire pressure light went on in my 2024 Honda HRV—a lease, due to be returned in July. Both of my daughters had recently told me that I needed two front tires, echoing what the Honda service manager had also said after my last oil change. “Even with my lease up […]

Wilhelmina

August 6, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

My very own Prince Charming not only came with two children, he came with two dogs—both bulldogs/pit bull mixes. As dog owners know, dogs in general can be a bit of work, sometimes worse than kids. And lord knows it’s a hassle to travel when you have dogs that can’t go with and still need […]

The Saddest Prom Ever

July 11, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

Prom. Arguably the biggest night of any upperclassmen’s end-of-the-school year. Remember yours? Corsages and boutonnieres, dresses and tuxes, nails and updos, a fancy ride followed by a fancy dinner and dance, and oh, the pictures. What a time we looked forward to and then had. Most everyone has a Prom story. Me? I attended my […]

The Plagues

June 27, 2025.Reading time 7 minutes.

When he left that night, darkness descended. That sounds cliché, I know, but I didn’t even get a chance to save my second marriage. I thought life couldn’t get any worse. It did. Like a chapter straight out of Exodus, the plagues came for me: water problems, bad weather, and infestations. In a well-intentioned attempt […]

The Pool

June 19, 2025.Reading time 3 minutes.

Apparently, it only takes three times to get something right. This is the fourth summer I have opened my above ground pool by myself, and the water is clear and swimmable (is that a word?), because I finally know what I’m doing. [Shout out to my son-in-law Ryan for all his help, as well as […]

Coming Soon’ish…

February 26, 2024.Reading time less than 1 minute.

Which of the following tracks would you like to hear (read) from my forthcoming album (blog/book) first?

New Year, New Me? Nope. Just New Obsessions.

January 1, 2024.Reading time 4 minutes.

Yesterday, I went through all the notes I took while on a writing retreat in Sienna, Italy–notes made during workshop sessions in a renovated Tuscan monastery whose property dated back to the Middle Ages. (Wait. Did I just write that? Did I really do that? How could I have been so lucky to not only […]

Anyone Out There?

September 25, 2022.Reading time less than 1 minute.

It’s been a few years since my blog has been active. Why? I stopped writing when Covid hit. How could I possibly have anything interesting anyone would want to read when we were all surrounded by the fear of death of a virus we knew nothing about? But now, I might be back. Depending. Can […]

This Post Is NOT about the Coronavirus; Pinky Nail Promise

March 11, 2020.Reading time 7 minutes.

I am not going to write about Covid-19, because I’m trying not to think about it. I am also not going to write about the March-school blahs, because I’m trying to avoid them. And I am certainly not going to write about “The Bachelor” and the stupid way the entire season went, complete with radio […]

Forget Frugal February: It’s a Frivolous First of the Year!

February 11, 2020.Reading time 6 minutes.

I don’t know what’s happened to me, but we’re only eleven days into February, and I can’t seem to stop making unnecessary purchases. My friend Jill made “no spend January” a thing and saved a bunch of money, and now my daughter Natalie is trying out a “frugal February.” In both cases, the idea is […]