LOL–no, seriously. Well, the good news is we have heat for now, and the bad news is the water heater is… well, frizzing. So, yes, we DO get out of the shower into a balmy 68 degrees, but since the shower possibly dropped our core temperatures down to our blue and frozen toes, well, it’s,… Read More

Remember when we were little, and we wanted all the presents and all the candy and all the sweets? We wanted a thousand Christmas celebrations and a thousand family members and all the hoopla in the world? Well, we’re all a little older now–even the teenagers–and we have simpler wants. The kids wanted clothes, because… Read More

*  Black cats shouldn’t sit on black cushions with their eyes closed. *  If you have no heat and you have no hot water, it’s perfectly acceptable to peace out of your morning shower. *  Space heaters are kind little creatures and we should treat them well and give them thanks. *  If it’s raining… Read More

So, the heater is going to cost a grand–maybe, if we’re lucky. It might cost four, we won’t know until Tuesday. Yes, that Tuesday. The day before Christmas Tuesday. *headdesk* I’ll be honest– when I heard that, I, uh, took a nap. I was cold, I’ve been stressed and in pain, and I was up… Read More

Christmas shopping with Mate is one of my favorite good things from a bad place to have happened in the last decade. I used to be one of those crazy people waiting the day after Thanksgiving for the doors to Toys-R-Us to open, and I gotta tell you, we gave our kids a lot of… Read More

Takes deep breath… ZoomBoy’s choir presentation was Saturday– so for most of the week there’s been picking him up late and trying to make sure we had everything from an iron to sour gummy candy to hair gel. But it was worth it– the presentation was FANTASTIC, and it lasted a good three hours (so,… Read More

Not much to report tonight–sorry!   ZoomBoy is rehearsing for his choir program on Saturday–and picking him up late from school may seem like a giant pita but I remember band and drama productions of my own. I usually found a ride, because asking my parents was no bueno– if they weren’t working they were… Read More

Hey all– thank you for the kind responses to last night’s post. There is some true kindness in the world, and I am grateful. And now, a little bit of Jai and George– for you 🙂 *  *  * The Nature of Secrets Jai didn’t like to talk about his former boss. When you were… Read More

So it’s what we’ve always called a “top ramen weekend”– money’s thin, and doing anything expensive, including buying a Christmas tree, is off the table.  But one of the adult children came over to do laundry, and play with the new kitten (who was actually her kitten, but was splendidly needy so she gave him… Read More

First of all, I’d like to thank everybody who’s taken the time to review Clay and Dane’s story in all the usual outlets–remember, creating buzz and reviewing a book are great ways of supporting your favorite authors. Second of all, I’d like to have a word about Steve. You may see her, pictured here, lounging… Read More