Except for that time when she told on me for saying “Mr. Fart”, and a few times with certain Junior High friends who wanted NOTHING to do with me and she went along with it, and, justifiably, during confusing times setting boundaries as adults, my sister loved me. She championed me. She did insist that I […]
My dad was the primary wage-earner in our house. My mom set aside nursing at a private practice to have the babies and care for them as most women did. Actually caring for the kids was only a small part of my mom’s life. There were no tasks at our house she wouldn’t tackle save […]
Stately as princes the swans part the lilies and glide, under the willows. The 3 young girls, arms unconfined, heads dipping & lifting, moved, twirling slowly, with as much grace as they could imagine, in, around, through the arching, earth-touching branches of the monumental weeping willow. Are they enchanted men, soon to be free again, […]
Wow. Growing up in my house, birthdays were a big deal. This phenomenon evidently originated from Mom’s side of the family, something Dad had to get used to early in their relationship. Living next door to my maternal grandparents and maternal aunt and family meant there was always a crowd. Many relatives situated close by equaled […]
My folks scanned a batch of old photos, giving each of us a CD of what they thought we’d like. Looking through my collection of pictures was sentimental & nostalgic, mystifying & embarrassing. Many of the shots are groups gathered around a birthday cake, groups posed on & around an armless sofa, smaller groups in […]
We are home from 5 days away. We had a whirlwind trip as usual. This time, another co-worker wedding called us to La Jolla. You may not have read my other post regarding a co-worker wedding, but I will say that I think I learned something from that experience. I still went on a dress-hunting […]
As long as I can remember, there has always been a vegetable garden at my parent’s. This space, on the north end of the front yard, was a sizeable rectangle that enjoyed all-day sun. The garden space grew larger when my dad hauled Granddad’s tractor from his eastern Oregon home to ours. Each summer, the […]
There I was, in front of my closet, barefoot, shoulders drooped, hands hanging limply at my sides. It was Friday early afternoon. A few hours on, I’d be witnessing the wedding of two people I didn’t know, sitting with people I didn’t know, drinking wine with people I didn’t know, chatting, laughing, working hard to […]
Amborg. Holmfrid. Inga. Olaf. Do these names inspire passion, visions of windswept vistas, heaving chests of toned muscle or full bosom? Can you imagine them as dance partners, steaming up the lenses of the audience while engaging in a full-frontal tango? Or is the conjured vision one of clay-soil-toiling, no-nonsense sea gleaners, inhabitants of the […]
To get a few things sorted, I will state that I was not actually raised by any sort of actual wolf. Like Carolyn, who Buddy the Elf meets in the pediatrician’s waiting room, I’m a human, raised by humans. I will also state: I’m completely aware that my parents did the best they could, with […]
Raised By Wolves 