Things I’ve learned during my 52nd trip around the sun

Honesty is free, yet more valuable than pretty much anything else. With each birthday, I feel more compelled to celebrate. My dog is smarter than I gave him credit for being. Last week during an “intestinal bout,” shall we say, he opened the screen door to the back deck rather than literally lose his sh*t … Continue reading Things I’ve learned during my 52nd trip around the sun →

Albany XXX

What’s up with that title, right? Is it porn? Extra large? Nope...Roman numerals - thirty, as in thirty years since I first moved to Albany. In August of 1988 I was 21. I moved here knowing not a single person, other than Mary Panza who I was lucky enough to meet when her roommate tried … Continue reading Albany XXX →

Telling stories

Monday night a friend and I headed downtown to attend the August edition of the Front Parlor series. This month’s theme was Drugs and it wasn’t until nearly midway through the program that I decided to participate as a story teller. While there were quite a few options in terms of what I could share when it … Continue reading Telling stories →

Coming clean

Welcome to one of the saddest days of my life year. Even though it happens every year, if I’m lucky, the final morning on Cape Cod always leaves me feeling melancholy. There’s something about knowing that it’s the last time I’ll be seeing the ocean and smelling the salty air that punctuates my summer in a … Continue reading Coming clean →

In pursuit of perfection

When I instruct 6th graders on bibliographic formatting I always tell them that perfect is never my goal, except for in MLA citations. Beyond that, perfect is not my expected, or even necessarily desired, outcome. I don’t need perfect.  Authentic and true is more than enough for me. This year’s Cape vacation has come with … Continue reading In pursuit of perfection →

Stop this train

Sitting in a screened porch, dog at my feet, listening to John Mayer and staring out at the moody, foggy pond across the dirt road and I completely concur with his plea - stop this train. At this moment in time, despite a lack of sunshine or resolution to a heartache, my world is so … Continue reading Stop this train →

Poems, prayers and promises

When the weather is tropical and everywhere you look you see green, life starts to feel like an epic poem written by Mother Nature. There’s so much happening around us with things growing and water puddling and smells that define a season - flowers, bar-b-q and chlorine. I know how fortunate I am to have … Continue reading Poems, prayers and promises →