Every summer for the past five years, my sister Ann and I have come to Ohio for a week. We do ancestry research and visit old friends. And our Schnellinger cousins host a family reunion. Every year, there’s at least a couple of relatives I don’t know. Usually I know all my cousins, but not … read more Alma’s progeny
Tag: time
Through the lens
In the midst of the reunion, my cousin Gary pulled me aside. “I have something for you,” he said. “Is now a good time?” I hadn’t seen Gary more than a couple times in the past 45 years. I couldn’t imagine what he could have brought from Arizona for me, or why we needed to … read more Through the lens
Restless
There’s something about those square numbers on a digital clock … that ugly electric red … and when the numbers are 4:53 – arggggghhhh – just knowing how little sleep I’ve had makes me even more restless. And once the mind starts going, it’s all over. It’s like an ear worm from a song, except your … read more Restless
List oppression
Some days, when the to-do list is long, I end up feeling that I’ve accomplished nothing. I didn’t finish that research project. I didn’t write that column for the local newspaper. I didn’t respond to three of my friends. I didn’t catch up on my blog posts. I didn’t mail those packages to my sisters. … read more List oppression
My clutter, my self
I had written “toilet paper” on my list a couple days ago. Today I was clearing some shelves in the basement, and discovered a package of 20 rolls. Must have put it there in some misguided attempt to reduce clutter under the sink in the main floor bathroom, where we usually keep the toilet paper. Clutter … read more My clutter, my self
The first
Daffodils are kind of … daffy. They come up too early every year, oblivious to the dangers that are looming just over the snow-laden cloud-filled horizon, sticking their cheerful faces to the sun at the first sign of warmth. Yet there’s something about seeing the first one. It gives you a blindly loyal kind of hope, … read more The first
First day on the clock
I always end up breaking one of the “rules of writing”: Do it in the morning. I just can’t do it. This standard advice for writers is intended to give your freshest, most creative brain over to writing. It’s also to make sure you get it done. But I work with people who are 10 … read more First day on the clock
More pills??
The surgeons are done with me. Today I turned myself in at the office of the primary care doctor. My usual doc was out of the country, so I went to his partner. I wasn’t too sure about going to a stranger. But I’m anxious to get some closer-to-home follow-up on the daily trials I’ve been dealing … read more More pills??
Re-gifted
Sometimes people get gifts they don’t want, so they just give them to someone else. Christmas is a great excuse for this practice of “re-gifting.” That happened to me today. I woke to a rainy, misty day on the mountain. I got up because my back was aching to move. I was very slow, still a … read more Re-gifted
Painting with pieces of paper
Time is a deterrent to painting. By the time I clear a space to work, get out and set up the paints and brushes and canvas and easel, decide what to paint, and then allow time for cleaning up and putting away – well, I need three hours to do a session of any value. … read more Painting with pieces of paper