I grew up with cats. We always had at least one, sometimes two. My childhood memories include oft-repeated, hilarious tales of the family cat falling into the fish bowl, getting stuck in the dryer, or comically attempting to chase a chattering squirrel up the giant fir tree in the front yard. Dogs, however, remained a […]
The Neighbors. They Like Us. Really, They Do
For several years, Hubs and I owned a lovely little house at the end of a tree-lined street. It wasn’t big or particularly expensive, but it sat on a large lawn, with a row of giant fir trees on one side, creating a shaded, park-like setting where we hosted roughly a thousand bbqs, countless summer […]
Finding the Funny with Guest Blogger Kathleen O’Donnell
Sometimes I say things. I guess they’re embarrassing. My oldest son Daniel is frequently called upon to tell me, “Mother, you shouldn’t say that out loud.” He always calls me Mother. With that tone. You know the one. I’ve already confessed I was a young mother. A too young, 17 year old mother. I was the best mother […]
Thou Shalt Not Tell a Lie. Unless Thou is Married
With social media blowing up with posts about Valentine’s Day and everyone anticipating the fat little cupid and the romantic gifts he’ll leave behind, I got curious about some lesser-known holidays that we don’t celebrate with quite the same group enthusiasm. A quick Google search came up with Laughing Day, Pork Rind Appreciation Day, International Sex Bomb Day, 50 Llamas Day, and […]
“Little House,” The (Much) Later Years
When I was 8 years old, my parents gave me a set of books for Christmas that remains, to this day, one of the coolest gifts I’ve ever received. They were beautiful. A matched row of hardback books in soft colors with gold lettering, with titles guaranteed to make any young girl a lifelong reader, […]
That Dog Don’t Hunt
The office I work in is next door to our local DMV, giving me a direct view of government business as waves of people deal with their licensing issues, title transfers, and best of all, their driving tests. Looking out of the large picture window, I can usually tell quite quickly if Tiffany passed her […]
I’m at Grandma’s. Call 9-1-1
My son and daughter-in-law called to say they were bringing the grandkids for the weekend. Yay! Upon their arrival, Jake and Kenny immediately took off for Home Depot for some manly-man errands (conveniently located directly across from their favorite sports bar…yeah, they were gone for the day). Sandra and I got the wee ones occupied, […]
Who Needs Marshmallows When You Can Buy a Kirby?
So Kenny and I are sitting outside last evening, enjoying salty margaritas and how-was-your-day stories, when a rather delightful, uber-enthusiastic, door-to-door Kirby salesman (tell your mother they DO still exist!) pulls into the driveway and offers an in-home demonstration guaranteed to “knock my socks off!” Who could resist? We invited him in and fired up […]
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