Since embarking upon this, my ninth journey into the land of Weight Watchers (and no, I am not exaggerating, although this is only my second uber-serious trip), I have lost a good amount of weight. Thirty pounds. This would make most people ecstatic. But I’m an over-achiever. I want to lose more quickly. I want... Continue Reading →

Do you ever Google yourself? If not, I congratulate you on having no egotistic curiosity. But if you do, welcome. I believe you are in good company. I Google myself on a regular basis and no, I don’t think I have a problem with severe narcissism. I do it to see if the blog you... Continue Reading →

Because my husband Bill is a good sport and a willing participant in my madness, we drove to Washington, DC, last weekend just because I wanted to see an exhibit about Sylvia Plath. I’ve been talking about seeing this exhibit ever since I found out about it last fall. So we drive all the way... Continue Reading →

It's almost Mother's Day once again. My mom has been dead for fifty-seven weeks. This is a fact. As for the feelings, I am still inexplicably devoid of them, at least externally. I know they are there, simmering beneath the surface, but I continue to find it difficult to access them. My grief is like... Continue Reading →

When I was about 13 years old, my dad taught me how to shoot a gun. He was an avid hunter and gun collector who even did his own reloading. It was what he poured his spare time into and where he found joy. My brother didn’t seem to have much an interest in guns,... Continue Reading →

It would be so nice to be from a small town. Everyone would know my name and I would know theirs. We would always greet each other with a friendly hello on the street or a wave from the driver’s seat. The townspeople would rally around a family in pain or join in the collective... Continue Reading →