Conferences are notorious for being a lot of noise with a little bit of helpful information mixed in. I’ve always held that if you glean one or two useful nuggets, you’ve done well. Yet there are some areas of my life where I find myself more prone to believing that there is a right way … Continue reading Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
Category: life
In My Parents’ Attic
My sister started it, and now my mother has embraced it too, the push to clear my parents’ attic of all the flotsam and jetsam stashed there. As a pack rat by nature, I approach this enterprise with caution and only when prodded. Several months ago I duly spent hours opening boxes and revisiting elements … Continue reading In My Parents’ Attic
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! -or- How I Found Myself at a Big 10 Football Game
Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! addresses the challenges in transitioning from one life stage to another. For better or worse, the book has become a somewhat clichéd gift to graduating students, with some critics arguing that it is creating false expectations that greatness awaits us all and that the path to success lies … Continue reading Oh, the Places You’ll Go! -or- How I Found Myself at a Big 10 Football Game
Can’t Nothing Hold Me Down
Pettigrew epitomizes the can do attitude. As an elder statesman, well into his double digits, Pettigrew is slowing down. But for the things that matter most, he finds a way. As a pup, Pettigrew was all grace as he leapt on top of walls, cleared logs that had fallen across the trail, and bounded onto … Continue reading Can’t Nothing Hold Me Down
To the Manor Born
A red velvet-covered dog pillow onto which a tired body could sink, the feather stuffing settling to create a cozy nest. A hand, heavy with rings dangling over an armrest to lazily stroke a furry back. Stolen from under the cook’s nose, a bone with meat scraps clinging to its surface. Or, surreptitiously passed under … Continue reading To the Manor Born
Parking Strip Etiquette
Electric scooters have arrived in our city and are raising all sorts of questions. Where should they be parked when not in use? Are they allowed on the sidewalk? On the street? Who has the right of way? In a recent column in the Washington Post, John Kelly tackled the older problem of crowded sidewalks. … Continue reading Parking Strip Etiquette
In My Own Voice #15: Ninja Dog
Mostly black, I blend into my surroundings. A master of hidden movement, I belly crawl through the hostas, barely causing a leaf to quiver. I can hold one position without moving for long periods of time. See Playing possum. Ingeniously protecting our home-front perimeter, I have created strategically placed people blinds: nests in the flowerbeds … Continue reading In My Own Voice #15: Ninja Dog
Leave While You’re Still Having Fun
Leave while you’re still having fun. All good things must come to an end. My mother dutifully did her best to instill these truisms. But I didn’t believe. I wanted to eek out that last drop of pleasure. Stay until the bitter end. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I was a trailblazer … Continue reading Leave While You’re Still Having Fun
