My houseguest is gone. She came for two weeks and I asked her to stay for six months. And another six months. One year. My houseguest was more than just a houseguest. She was my friend, my daughter, my playmate and often my confidant. She had to return to The Netherlands. We are both sad. And though I am sad she is gone – and gone so far away – I am grateful my husband and I were able to have her here for a year. She wasn’t our first long-term houseguest. We also invited a young man into our Keep Reading...
Snow Biking – Really, that is a “Thing”
Okay, just the title, Snow Biking, tells you this will be a ridiculous story (with a good ending so keep reading.) Snow and biking should never be in the same sentence. Seriously. But I learned that the hard way. Yes, I went snow biking. For my fellow Southerners, let me explain what the heck snow biking is. Snow biking is when you get on what southerners would call a mountain bike except it has super fat tires with super thick tread – for the snow! I was at a resort somewhere in Keep Reading...
The Day I Rescued A Turtle – I Mean – A College Boy
My three girls were used to me slamming on my brakes, backing up, jumping out of the car, dashing into the road, snatching up a turtle and carrying it to the safety of the nearby ditch. They weren’t always happy about my turtle rescues (especially as teenagers) but they were not surprised when it happened. Last weekend, I was hurrying to meet one of my daughters two hours away for a grandbaby handoff. I passed a sign saying something about a road closed ahead. I kept driving because who Keep Reading...
It’s Never Too Late
Do you remember the “Highlights” magazine? When I was a kid, I wanted to be the first one to get the magazine when it came to my house so I could beat my siblings to the hidden pictures puzzle. Highlight magazine was full of puzzles, riddles, games and other pages created to make learning fun. I believe pediatrician waiting rooms are still scattered with Highlight magazines. I wouldn’t actually know since it’s been, ahem, years since I’ve visited one. I also had a subscription to another Keep Reading...
The Day of “And then…”
As I sipped my coffee one morning this week, I contemplated all the tasks I needed to complete. And then... My houseguest from The Netherlands came out from her bedroom on the other side of the house and gently let me know that it was really hot and the heat wouldn’t stop blowing. A few weeks ago, the thermostat - that is now part of our “smart home” package - malfunctioned and it was freezing in her room. Now we had the opposite problem. I walked toward her room and about threw up because it Keep Reading...
Pool Gone Rogue
It’s unseasonably cold where I live. We're getting snow, sleet and freezing rain. That is such a rarity in South Texas so people are bundling up, going outside to play in the dusting of snow and trying to build a snowman with a fistful of the cold, white stuff. It is craziness. Last night as I went out in the backyard with the dogs “one last time” before bed, all was quiet - except for the roar from my neighbors’ pools. And the sound took me back. Back to another cold Texas night... My Keep Reading...
What Snowman Noses Taught Me About Holiday Cheer
When I first married, I started a Santa collection. It didn’t take me long to figure out that there wasn’t a lot of variety when it came to Santas. They were all pretty much wearing red suits trimmed in white fur, were fat with a long beard and twinkling eyes. So I switched my collecting efforts to snowmen - and snowwomen and snow boys and snow girls. I have snowmen made out of square blocks and ice cubes. I have snowmen standing on their heads, roasting marshmallows, and decorating a moose Keep Reading...
What “THE TOILET” Taught Me
My husband said that I’m telling everyone about THE TOILET but I’m not. I’ve told a few people close to me but I haven’t told everyone – until now! Now, I want to tell everyone. Last week, my husband and I rented a house with three other couples and can I just say I think it is a great idea to go on vacation with people you don’t know well if you are a writer? Why? Because it gives you lots of new blogging fodder. Like stories about a mother who makes a sacrifice for her unprepared daughter Keep Reading...
What a Buzzard Taught Me
I was in my yard when something in the sky caught my eye. I looked up to see a large black bird, aka buzzard, flying toward me. And then it scooped down and then up again and then to the right and to the left and down again. I stopped what I was doing and watched the bird dart and dive. Curious. As the big bird flew closer to me, I realized what was causing it to fly so sporadically. A little bird. Since I am not an ornithologist or even a “birder,” I’m not sure what type the little bird Keep Reading...
What Hummingbirds Taught Me
I absolutely love watching the hummingbirds come to feed this time of year. I anxiously wait for the first little flyer to show up in the spring and I spend the summer mesmerized by the tiny hummers. They are tiny but they can be fierce. There are enough spots for all of the birds to sit and drink at the same time but there is always one bully bird waiting nearby to chase the hungry birds. I never tire of watching the tactical maneuvers of the hummingbirds as they fight for a spot at the Keep Reading...