Our son's car after a head-on collision 

I am not awakened when the telephone rings at 11:30 on a Saturday night. My husband is and is filled with dread, like he is always filled with dread when the phone rings at that hour. But, he knows that as soon he hears what… Read full post »

My life's lesson should be etched on my brain because I keep forgetting it, and that simple act of "forgetting" triggers some cosmic event  involving one of my children, to which I respond improperly, which provokes parental-child angst, which forces me to remember "my lesson" all over aga… Read full post »

The probable meltdowns that are now occurring at two (now the press says three) nuclear power plants in Japan started me thinking, again about the issue of nuclear power. You would think that as an intelligent people, we've had sufficient warnings of the risks involved in using nuclear power. I remem… Read full post »

Image thanks to Christie Abshire Butcher's Students at the University of Texas, Austin

Caption: I'd rather be living at the beach

I WENT OVER to mom's house this morning to see how she was feeling. She lives in my backyard, so it's just a short walk.

She has had a bladder infection that just won't go away, despite being put on a low… Read full post »

The other day, fingerlakeswanderer, aka Lorraine Berry, posted a quote by Stephen Fry:

“If I had a large amount of money I should found a hospital for those whose grip upon the world is so tenuous that they can be severely offended by words and phrases yet remain all unoffended… Read full post »

In Portland, Oregon, where I grew up, Bleeding Hearts or Dicentra Spectabilis are one of the first signs of Spring. They have beautiful pink heart shaped lobes and delicate fern like leaves. Before they bloom the plant stock looks like a gnarly old piece of wood that would… Read full post »

For the last several weeks I have tried to engage mostly conservative friends and family in the health care debate by presenting facts and counterarguments to their arguments. My efforts have simply made my conservative friends and family either tune me out or become angry with me. I even posted a… Read full post »

Dear Robert [I love you Robert, even though on the whole I don't agree with you!], from what I have read, Obama’s plan would reduce costs in numerous important ways, insure portability, and cover most Americans. He would do this by:

1. Reducing the cost of underwriting. If you eli… Read full post »

Do you see my Post-it-Note? It says "Let me hang--no dryer"

The ‘Post-it-Note’ might be one of the greatest inventions known to modern wo-man. I use, the yellow 2X2 ones, which are the standard ones. The color yellow? I do not know/… Read full post »

Here is my son's version of me with no make-up, which is me most of the time. I'm by our back door, just in from outside in the garden, too much sun. He graciously pixilated this a bit to hide the truth. But, whatever, it's okay. This is me at 51.… Read full post »

A really bad day can only get worse when your husband calls you fat

This is the deal: Tonight Rich called me fat. And no I’m not exaggerating. I’m also not misinterpreting. Those very words came out of his mouth, or very close to them and under circumstances where I was/… Read full post »

 Middle School Football

Dear James,

I am writing this letter on the eve of your senior retreat. We have been lucky, you and I.  I don’t know many mothers that have the kind of relationship with their children that I have with/… Read full post »

This is Georgie as a Puppy. He is a Shetland Sheep Dog, or Sheltie, and has no toes at all on his left rear leg. Oh yeah, he has his own very dramatic rescue story!

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Georgie's story:

Our prior Sheltie, Tuki, was put to sleep as… Read full post »

 Buddha and Apostles

This is a copy of a journal post I wrote during my first visit to Sri Lanka in the several months spanning the years 1999 and 2000 of the Christian calendar. A friend urged me to post it as a record to my children that their mother… Read full post »

 Eyelash Viper in Costa Rica

You learn something everyday. From this website (click on link) I learned that an Eyelash Viper can stay poised in the same position for a week waiting for prey. So, James not getting bit wasn't just a fluke.

I spent New Year’s… Read full post »

 Baby denese in the mountains of Nevada

 Here are Bardgirl's questions in an Open Call for Adoption Stories.

1. Was your experience as an adoptee or a parent of an adopted child positive or negative?

2. Do you know your/your child's birth history?… Read full post »

Fighting with my baby is painful, particularly on my baby's birthday

My oldest son and I are in a fight. Somehow we are communicating the arguments of our respective significant others. Daniel is speaking for his fiancée and I am communicating for my husband. At one point,… Read full post »

Civil Service exam under Jen Tsung: Probably a lot easier in LA

I took a Civil Service Exam today, and unfortunately the experience sucked my good attitude reserve dry because I think I flunked it. Maybe I didn't do well because I didn't haul my big bag of… Read full post »

This is dedicated to Deb: You know who you are.............

Let's get this party started: from 8:30 am until the parade starts at 4:30 pm and beyond

The lotus flower: A symbol of wisdom

Me drinking from a coconut on the road to enlightenment

I confess. I am a suburban housewife.

This is an embarrassing admission to make to the group of people that I traveled with to Southern India and Sri Lanka. Many… Read full post »