A friend of mine sent an email my way. She asked me to take a quirky, clever 20-second quiz to reveal my Muppet personality. “I’m Fozzie Bear,” she said. After reading that, I came oh so close to skipping the quiz. Fozzie Bear is kind, brave, and stronger than he appears. He’s a good friend.…
In 2010, the Common Core Education Standards dropped the requirement to teach cursive writing. Who needed it? Everyone had migrated to computers, tablets, and phones to compose documents and communicate. Except for renowned author Pat Conroy, that is. Conroy was not allowed to take a typing course in high school. He told me this when…
I leaned back in the dental chair as the hygienist moved a film-holding contraption to 18 places inside my mouth, one after the other. After she positioned the film right she wanted it, she said, “Now, bite down slowly”—18 times. Then, she pushed a button and a new picture of my teeth appeared on the…
On his way out the door to the grocery store, I asked my husband to pick up a watermelon. “Bring home a good one,” I said. A “good” watermelon is sweet and red. Gary knows how to find one. I taught him what my brother Gerald taught me. Look for battle scars on its rind…
My friend Nancy called. She does that sometimes. “I have news,” she said. “Who’s pregnant,” I asked. It is a fair question. In the past 10 years, Nancy has spent her time trekking up and down the east coast. In the beginning, her trips were all about weddings and showers for her four children. After…
Our refrigerator is on the fritz. It has gone on strike. In other words, my stainless steel, state of the art kitchen tool is not pulling its weight. Two years ago, after thorough research, we paid a lot of money to an appliance company for a dependable fridge, one that keeps foods cold or frozen…
I discovered why there is a toilet paper shortage. Everybody wants to blame the problem on this thing called a pandemic. That never made sense to me, still doesn’t. It seems more sensible that consumers would be far more concerned with eating than wiping when it comes to fear of shortages. Anyway, I experienced the…
If I could be a flower, what blossom would I choose to be? Go ahead, laugh. But I’ve considered this question ever since wildflowers greeted me at my West Virginia castle a few weeks ago. The deep purples and bright yellows winked at me from between thin blades of grass at the border of the…
If I turn off the location settings on my phone, you could still find me. When I’m not in South Carolina, I’m in West Virginia. When I’m not in West Virginia, I’m in South Carolina. Keeping track of what I can do where in the midst of states reopening after COVID-19 quarantine is a challenge.…
I could use a tutorial on the art of sitting still. I’m no good at it. The last few weeks have reminded me that the person I am feels more comfortable when moving. I’ve come to realize that I sit quietly, without moving, only when I’m reading or watching a movie. Unless the book hypnotizes…
