A couple of weeks ago I lent my Mother-in-law a book. It was A Paris Wife, by Paula McLain; a novel based on the first marriage of Ernest Hemingway to Hadley Richardson. I had bought it for myself and had already started reading it but noticed when we saw her that she didn’t have a book,…
Category: family
Mercy
Littleb and I were in the car again. He was sitting in the back seat munching french-fries. I was driving. Yes, Nancy Drew, I was also munching french-fries. I’m sort of a Francophile. Littleb was telling me about a new game he learned called Mercy. It is a game of strength over brains…. Littleb: Dad…
The Warmest Coat Lands End Sells
This is a re-post from November 2011. It flurried here today, which brought this post to mind, and I spent all day working on a new project, so didn’t have time to post something new. I hope you are warm and cozy wherever you are. For Christmas, I gave Teenager-who-lives-in-the-Basement (TWLITB) a new parka. And not…
Butter Files: The Christians and The Pagans of Macomber Hill
M was the Catholic kid next door. Our families have been neighbors for as long as I can remember. M was raised in a structured, consistent environment, the kind Dr. Spock would have prescribed, with a Dad who worked shifts at the paper mill and a Mom who stayed home with the kids, managing their…
Littleb’s To Do List
BigB and I are both list makers. I’m a daily list keeper and BigB has one continuous list that he adds to and re-prioritizes as necessary. If I do something that is not on my list, it gets added to the list and then crossed off. BigB will never reach the bottom of his list.…
Hitting Repeat
We were at our friends’ house for a weekend visit. It was late. A lot of wine and craft beers had been consumed. Our girls were bedded down for the night-their three and our two. We had finished playing a rousing game of Risk in which Phil, my husband’s college room mate, and I, battled…
Skip this House….
If, while out tricking or treating this evening, you come across a house that looks like this… Yikes! Creepy! Is that a ghost? You might want to skip it.It’s a documented fact that this house is haunted.You really should think twice before ringing that doorbell….. Sort of like Hotel California….just sayin’ Because if you do…
The Vi Chronicles: Peggy-Lou Was NOT a Very Good Baby-Sitter
One night my mother went out and left Peggy-Lou in charge. Peggy was our big sister, third oldest out of seven. She was ten years older than me and seven years older than my brother, Victor. That night, Peggy had an excellent idea. She was full of good ideas, Peggy Lou was. She decided we…
Halloween Decorating
It was late. BigB and littlb had gone to bed. Teenager Who Lives in the Basement (TWLITB) was shuffling around in the basement, as usual, and I was sitting in this very same spot just minding my own business. TWLITB popped his head in the office door. “Mom?” “TWLITB?” “What are you doing?” “Nothing much.…
Brotherly Love
One of the nice things that people often say about my husband, BigB, is that he is a humble man. It’s true. He is. It is one of the things I most like about him. It seems that the trait is hereditary and has been passed down to littleb. For fun, Teenager Who Lives in…
Chicken's Consigliere 