We were three stair-steps growing up, cousins each a year apart, Gina-Carol-Carla. There were a lot of cousins — thirty-two on my mom’s side — but we were special somehow. Close enough in age and without major personality conflicts, I think. Our mothers mostly indulged us; cousins were safe friends. Sometimes we were all together,… Continue reading In Groups of Three
The Last of the Peonies
I cut the very last of my peonies this week. I have a little bit of a peony problem. I convinced Paul to dig up a plant that hasn’t bloomed in two years and replace it with a new bi-colored variety that won’t bloom till next year. He relocated the reject across the yard; maybe… Continue reading The Last of the Peonies
Fog
Every day on my way to work, I drive through a valley. The asphalt road gives way to chip and seal, and the tires take up a different song. The road curves, sharp, and dips down to a country intersection where another road veers in from a 35-degree angle and only a stop sign and… Continue reading Fog
Ten Days
My husband has been in the hospital for ten days. He went in through ER with an infection in his leg. We were not expecting this at all, let alone for things to last this long. We don't know when he will come home. The boys ask me every day, and I am afraid to… Continue reading Ten Days
Recharging
I had some bloodwork done a few weeks ago and realized that my thyroid levels were crazy out of whack. (This is a very precise medical term.) I am no longer in possession of a thyroid gland, so I get everything from medicine that is managed by my endocrinologist. He's very smart and I've been… Continue reading Recharging