Last night at 11:59, the final exam closed for my college-level English classes, The students had been given one full week to do the final exam online, 24/7, and I had reminded them repeatedly during classes that they should NOT wait until the last minute to do the exam because if they had problems with … Continue reading Snowplow Parents: Thoughts from a Teacher

Not the actual bear I saw, but this could be a cousin. With the exception of my husband, who has to live with the inhuman sounds I make when confronted with spiders and snakes, no one will ever accuse me of being a ‘city girl.’ I’m not afraid of frogs or toads, and if I … Continue reading Blue-Bear-y Hill

We’ve always heard that you have to “crawl before you walk,” but one of the things I am learning as I start this new chapter in my life is that I may have to learn to ‘creep before I crawl.’ Now, if you wondered the difference between the two, you’re not alone. I looked it … Continue reading Crawling and Creeping

George Floyd There are so many stories of police brutality and violence against people of color that it’s almost easy to turn the channel, turn our heads, and turn our hearts because we’ve seen it all before. We see the news, see the outrage, see the reaction of the families and friends of the fallen, … Continue reading “I Can’t Breathe”

    I often wonder if there are two kinds of people – those who want the windows open all the time and those who want them closed all the time. Having lived in Florida for nearly the last 20 years, I completely understand the reasoning behind wanting to keep the windows closed all the time. … Continue reading Open Windows

5-27     A couple of days ago, Dan called me to come quickly. Since Dan doesn’t do much of anything in a rush, I thought maybe something was wrong. When I got to his side, he shushed me and directed me to look out the window, where a deer was just finishing the final moments of … Continue reading Life Goes On

When I was a child, Sunday afternoons were the longest hours of the week. The chasm between Sunday morning church and the start of 60 Minutes­, which my dad was almost as religious about watching as about going to church, seemed like it was a veritable eternity. Sometimes I think it was even boring for … Continue reading Sunday Drive

Sometimes, I can’t help but think that my dogs are the perfect metaphor for life. They have everything they want – shelter, food, toys, people to cuddle them, and yet the rustle of the wind distracts them and sets them to barking and running back and forth to the window or door. When they are … Continue reading Restless

It’s been 31 years since Weena Fish died. It’s funny how some days you never ever seem to forget. This is one of them. I was living on Taylor Street, and there is so little I remember about that time in my life, but there are things about that night I think I remember so … Continue reading When Lilacs Bloom

The sun showed up only for a quick cameo today around Noon and then executed the perfect Irish Goodbye, slipping off quietly before anyone had a chance to notice and leaving room only for rain. I’ve been working on schoolwork, a grant for a client, and a couple of other bits of work that needed … Continue reading Flashbacks & Irises