I never would have envisioned my life like this.  I stay at home on days that I don't substitute. I write. I observe the garden, and then I go back to writing.  I keep house and make homemade croutons. I'm going to look up how you can dry your own herbs later on today, so I can dry my extra oregano, marjoram, rosemary and thyme to make Italian ( Read more... )

It's about to rain.  The wind picked up,and everything seems to be hurrying to arrive before the rain comes. The sun can't keep up and hides behind the clouds.  Light bounces in and out of the room, sprinting through the palms and the orange tree.  A kid shrieks as his skateboard clickity-clacks on the sidewalk home, a car bursts by, and a dog won' ( Read more... )

There is something off about your mother-in-law wanting, practically begging, you to have sex with her son.  While I have no desire to have a child in my immediate future, she does, and suddenly my reproductive organs are on spotlight ( Read more... )

I gasped last night when Virginia turned blue.  I knew it was probable that Obama would win, but I just didn't believe.  I didn't have the faith that it would turn out.  Something always seems to go wrong, but instead, we have President Elect Barack Obama ( Read more... )

I spend most of my days alone, and I've come to realize that I am more than fine with that.  I don't know why I'm so suited for being by myself. It doesn't make sense.  After all, I am probably unhealthily attached to Kevin: I married extremely young, but I find myself sitting in my rocking chair in our library with the morning sun on my face, ( Read more... )

When my grandmother was in the sixth grade, Hitler conquered Poland. Every day, my grandmother's favorite teacher, Mr. Harman would start off class by pulling down a map of Europe.  "Ok class," he'd say, "Let's talk about the Blitzrieg."  He'd discuss defensive strategies for the European nations, the importance of maritime in war, Britain and ( Read more... )

I've started a writing project with my grandmother.  Every Tuesday, when Kevin teaches night school, I go over to my childhood house, the same house that my grandma lived since I was three months old, and we sit outside at a table and talk.  More precisely, she talks, and I type.  A few years ago, she joined a writing group at church that focused ( Read more... )

I just found out that the OBGYN that I've been using forever (she was my general practitioner before that) isn't covered under my lovely HMO (well, she is but my general doctor is in another group so I had to choose).  It was traumatic, but such is life.  I called up my doctor and had him refer some OBGYNs to me - they are all males ( Read more... )

My dad called up the other day to tell me that one of our family members was going through alcohol withdrawls.  "He had to be restrained in a hospital," he said.  "He was having hallucinations. I guess he was a danger to himself."  My dad paused.  "So," he said, "there's a lesson to be learned in this ( Read more... )

It feels like such a long time ago, but I can still feel my feet walking down the tan, carpeted hall, knowing that there was every possibility for being late for zero period.  It might be seven years later, but I still remember my hair wet on my back when, halfway down the hall, the phone rang, and things changed ( Read more... )