Suprise Me

As the train progressed ... people boarded with fruit, produce, and the occasional chicken and goat. Read More

My mother was out on some errand, and Susan asked if she could have a cup of coffee.  That seemed important to her (we didn't understand the caffeine imperative yet), so my older sister and I, who had never actually made coffee, tried to rise to the occasion.  Read More

I am the oldest of four children born to a Mom who graduated from high school and a Dad who left school in the eighth grade. I am the only one of their kids who gradated from high school and college. However I did not walk for high school graduation; instead I moved to Virginia Beach… Read More

Hey, catcha cobia, Hey, catcha valentine, Hey catcha co co bia, Eyes cold valentine bia. I listened to that jingle for years. The damned thing became an ear worm. An ear worm can be a snatch of rhythm, a melodic phrase, a whole tune. First, they just crawl around your ear, but eventually they become… Read More

As long as I know where the lake is, I know I am headed east. Read More

My life has been enriched by every community I have been part of, every group with which I have shared a common goal and a connection. Read More

Superman was cool. With superpowers and all. And nobody ever asked who I was supposed to be. Read More

I’ll never have plastic surgery. I always say it’s because I’m determined to age gracefully, naturally, but mostly it’s because I can’t afford it, and I’m afraid of pain and/or a bad result. But each morning I Photoshop my mouth, turn it up at the corners for a sweet smile instead of the gash I… Read More

In the fall of 1974 I arrived as an incoming freshwoman at Mills College in Oakland, California. We were each assigned a “zipper,” an upperclasswoman who helped orient us to the college, the Bay Area, and the particularities of language in the heyday of feminism. My college essay included something about how comfortable I expected… Read More

I realized there is nothing very hard about cooking as long as you follow the recipe (and don't pick a recipe with too many steps). Read More