Over the years there have been a number of YA books that captured me completely and for eternity. Off the top of my head, I immediately think of The Book Thief, What the Night Sings and Free Lunch. Interestingly enough, each of these books relates a story of a young person or family struggling under … Continue reading Read this: The Rent Collector
Tag: musings
Writer’s tears
I’ve mentioned before that I often find myself weepy when I’m in Ireland. If you know me at all, you’re aware that’s atypical of me. I’m not known to be a crier. On the occasions that I do get teary, it’s likely to be about children and animals, not songs or physical gestures. Last week, though, … Continue reading Writer’s tears
An eternal present
So far, the wettest thing (other than the Irish Sea - more on that in a minute), has been my cheeks. There’s something about being in Ireland, regardless of the number of times I’ve visited, that makes me weepy. When I visited Ireland the very first time, all flights from the states stopped at Shannon … Continue reading An eternal present
Hey, 19
My youngest son recently began his last year as a teenager causing me to deeply exhale. I’ve been parenting teenagers for about 14 years now and frankly, I’m exhausted. There have been a lot of challenges and poor decisions made along the way, on both sides, and while I'm not one to wish time away, … Continue reading Hey, 19
Soaking in dry January
Now that the first month of the new year is firmly in the rear mirror, it’s time to reflect on how things went during my very first attempt at avoiding alcohol (and other legal adult substances) for 31 days. As far as experiments go, I’d have to say that this one was a bit of … Continue reading Soaking in dry January
Why try dry?
With 40+ years experience in the hospitality industry, along with a mother who was a bartender during my childhood, I’ve spent many an hour in bars and restaurant observing people imbibing alcohol. Of course, beginning as a young teenager, I also had plenty of my own personal experiences of drinking, be it shots of Jack … Continue reading Why try dry?
Waiting on winter
As a kid, I remember winters felt really long. I understand that memories of childhood can be skewed but, as I recall, winters were cold and snowy. Perhaps not as extreme as the winters my mother told me about from her own girlhood in the Black Forest when, she said, they sometimes couldn’t open the … Continue reading Waiting on winter






