Tom, the stroke-bound slacker, sits in the recliner while I’m carrying 40-pound boxes from basement to main to loft and finding a place for the pots and pans in the pantry and texting the packout crew to ask where our pillows are. He wants me to stop and look at cat videos on Facebook. Spouses … read more Packing it IN
Month: August 2016
Zip it good
Amanda wanted badly to tell me something about the house, but she’d only met me a few hours before. She didn’t know how I’d react. She turned to her mom. “Should we tell her about… you know…” Judy looked at her daughter, face frozen. “The lady,” Amanda said. “You know. Out back.” Judy said, “Sure.” … read more Zip it good
Seven pairs of pants
Since I’ve lost 25 pounds, all but a few pairs of pants are now too big for me. So I still look fat, wearing all these baggy clothes. I hate shopping, though, especially clothes shopping. And ESPECIALLY pants shopping. Because you have to try on soooooo many pairs to find pants that fit right and that aren’t … read more Seven pairs of pants
A change of plan
Chance of thunderstorms was around 50 percent, but we thought the skies had cleared. The last lightning strike had hit more than 45 minutes before. So we piled into the car to drive to the pool. We really wanted to go swimming. It’s still hot, another long day, and we wanted to exercise in the water. Skies were grey … read more A change of plan
Big booties to fill
Been thinking about Grandma Alma again. Alma had a husband who made her promise to keep the family together and then died leaving her with eight small children, no money and a mortgage she couldn’t pay, and then people bought her farm stuff for pennies at auction and some of them never paid her. I … read more Big booties to fill
Bear bust
Yesterday was busy enough as it was, but I also had to stop to intervene in a neighborhood break-in. I was driving to go and fix lunch for Tom. A fat black bear cub was wandering along the road. I slowed to a crawl, looking for his mother. She was easy to spot. Standing on … read more Bear bust
Packing it out
I already had tears in my eyes when the big box truck backed into the driveway. Every time I walk into my house since the tree fell on it, the sight of the damage makes me cry. We loved this house so much from the moment we first walked in, nine years ago. The open … read more Packing it out
Sunday therapy
Finally, a day off. Slept in. After I made coffee and brunch I was free for a few hours to write while Tom was reading. Like a normal Sunday. We came up with an ambitious agenda for the afternoon and evening. We wanted to go to the playfield so that Tom could walk on the track, … read more Sunday therapy
A helping hand
The wooden stairs in the physical therapy room at the rehab hospital were on a platform, with a landing in between two sets of steps. About six steps on the steep side, and maybe ten on the set with a gentle slope. The handrail was wood, on both sides of the stairs within easy reach. Tom used these … read more A helping hand
What the tree has wrought
The tree is off the roof. Now what?