Suprise Me

We had a “retirement” prompt in early February, 2018, so the dates in this story are old, as you can ascertain by looking at the date stamps in the comments section. Also, since writing this story, there has been a “nanny” prompt, which I will link to within the body of the story at the… Read More

Over the years I would occasionally call him and attempt to talk. His short answers and inability to share his life left me feeling cut off at the knees. Read More

We managed to see our share of the Saturday kids’ programs, endless varieties of Westerns, the stereotypical Ozzie and Harriet sitcoms, variety shows and increasingly, the news. Read More

In the early days of high school I went to my first concert, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. They filled the Coliseum. To me it was an Event with a capital E and I remember clearly what I wore. A white blouse of dotted Swiss with big full sleeves gathered at the wrist,… Read More

My grandfather loved horses and gambling more than he loved my grandmother, so he spent a lot of time at the racetrack. Read More

Oh, it was so great at the beginning. My husband brought home the machine from his office and we went off the the video rental store and wandered the aisles like kids in a candy store. On a weekend, after the kids went to bed, we’d watch movies back to back, remembering to “be kind… Read More

My father was leaving the lecture hall when he stepped out of the doorway and a snowball—or more accurately, an ice ball—came hurling from the side and hit him directly across his open eye. Read More

In the universe of trauma, it seems pretty trivial to describe a childhood horror movie.  Looking back now, it is hard to believe that I would be terrified by the old sci-fi low-budget 1950’s film, “The Blob”.  I was surprised to learn from Wikipedia that it was Steve McQueen’s acting debut, and music was by… Read More

Our cousin Betty, before she became a celebrity to the pre-school set, was in a Broadway musical called Cafe Crown. Read More

I have a notorious black thumb. I killed a philodendron in my college dorm room and those things are indestructible. I killed all my house plants, so replaced them with good-looking silk ones. No fuss, no muss. But that is indoors. The great outdoors is less and more capricious. Back home in Newton, MA, my… Read More