Suprise Me

I hope my children picture me as a doting grandmother, happily playing with their children, unburdened by the daily demands of parenting. And it’s true that one of the joys of having grandchildren is spending special time together. To me, that means reading books, drawing, going to the park, singing and dancing to Beatles tunes… Read More

OK, I admit it. I’m not competent at assembly projects, although I do live with one gigantic IKEA wardrobe that I managed to put together by dint of much time, sweat, and profanity.  I am repurposing for “Retrospect” this poem that I wrote a number of years ago. WRITER’S WORKSHOP (Deer Isle, Maine) The view… Read More

Here’s something else I do remember. In the movie GiGi, which I loved when I was when I was a pre-teen, Maurice Chevalier sang to Hermione Gingold, I Remember it Well. Read More

    Unkie (Aunts and Uncles) My uncle was a sailor in the war. I called him Unkie. My earliest memories of him had him in that dark blue wool uniform with the white cap; the square shoulder flap like a small cape. Since our extended family treated him with such respect, I did too.… Read More

What can be more dangerous THAN THIS VERY MOMENT?  WHO can be more dangerous in THIS PRESENT MOMENT?     I used to kill insects when I was little, (still do at times (but I’m working on it)) Once, when I was a teacher, I had to march  10 blocks up a West Orange Township… Read More

David was a very shy youngster, so shy that his nursery school teachers wanted him to do a transition year. We thought that was not in the best interests of a child who was already interested in reading and math, so instead, we found a small private school for his kindergarten year. There, his best… Read More

"Can I help?" a woman's voice asked from behind me. A young woman had appeared with a shovel. Read More

Faith, for me, is a complicated topic. As I said in an earlier Retrospect story, I mostly don’t believe in God. But for some reason I’m not quite ready to rule out the possibility entirely. For instance, all through my years in school, when I was nervous about an exam, I would talk to God, saying “if… Read More

Washed Apple My father was a wonderful guy and I’ve shared many loving memories of him.  (See My Father, the Outsider Artist,  My Dad and the Word Processor, Saying Farewell to a Special Guy,  and Six Pack) But he did have some strange food-related tastes and habits.   Apples were his favorite fruit,  and when… Read More

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