The Final Paragraph Of His Story

I do not remember when I first heard of my Uncle Max. I cannot think of a time when I did not know his name, his fate, and to never, never mention him in front of my grandmother. I have been thinking about him a lot lately, because he wanted to be a writer, and […]

To Hear Birdsong

Last night I dreamed about our old neighborhood fire station, again. It is a dream I have off and on, with no particular point to it, or message from it that I can discern. I am just happy when I do dream about it, and always wake with a sense I have been home. In […]

Curiosity: What Happened If; And Yes They Noticed

For years, I have pondered why some of us are curious and some of us are not. Being one who has been curious about everything for as long as I can remember, it is puzzling to me why others do not share this same passion for information, details, ins and outs of the world and […]

The Gift Of Thirty-Seven Stars, President Grant, Little Big Horn, and More

During a conversation with my friend this morning, we meandered into observations of noticeably different characteristics between her generation and mine, especially regarding computers, social media, and information technology, in general. We both really happen to like all things electronic, and are each other’s go to person when one of our technological toys runs amok. […]

No Roar, No Drum

This time of year, because of events and anniversaries, personal and national, my thoughts often turn to heroism. I have debated the definition with more than one person, and keep neatly folded in one of my files a favorite Letter to the Editor I fired off in response to a column written by an editor […]

A Place Called Home

We can go through life trying different things, being different versions of ourselves, working at various jobs in diverse places, or we can stay one course for the duration, just wrinkling and sagging a bit more year to year. I have been, or at times, wanted to be or do all of the above. What […]

Her Name Was Grandmother

I have wondered, from time to time, what actually triggers memories of certain people; the recollections that seemingly pop up out of nowhere, and instantly take us back to a time or place we were not thinking about at all, and then render us unable to think of anything else. Particular scents, music, colors, weather; […]

Ring-Tailed Lemur On Your Birthday Cake

We celebrated a birthday this past weekend, and it was spectacular. I watched a little girl move with ease throughout the day, knowing she unapologetically was the complete focus and center of attention. This small person knows who she is, and with a keen sense of herself, gracefully shared the bounty of her birthday with […]

A Corner Turned

First year of college behind me, I was ready to head over the mountains to San Francisco, the promised land for someone who needed to kick valley home dust off her sandals. It was June, 1966, and I could not wait to escape the somnambulance of life in a place where Civil Rights, Cesar Chavez, and […]

Unicorns Don’t Ride Dogs And Other Dances

I will admit it. I am not a baby person; never have been. That is not to say I did not love my babies, love being an inadequate word to describe this mother’s heart toward her own. And, of course, there is not a doubt in my mind the sun rises and sets on my […]