It was the mid (roughly) 1990s. Long shorts, flannel shirts and long slightly unkempt hair was the order of the day. I was barely old enough to drink, and I was looking for an apartment. Few, if any of us could afford an entire place on our own, we all had to hive-up. A friend of mine had a friend who had an apartment, and he was in the market for a new roommate. We met up at a…
With only a few very minor exceptions, every day of her life was roughly the same, comfortable, warm, nourishing, and dependable. Until today. Today was different. Today everything was incredibly frightening. Her entire world felt out of hand and out of control. Today, things were loud…and constricting, her world was squeezing in on her. She felt crushed. She couldn’t get free. She just wanted to get away from all of this, and give herself a chance to assess the situation….
The tall grass parted and silently, I stepped through. Wild-eyed, connected with my surroundings, connected with my trusted weapon, and connected with my quarry. That connection was destined to break. One, and only one, of us were going to survive the night. The hunt had gone on far too long, too many times I had been eluded by my prey. It’s eminent death saddened me slightly. I could scarcely remember the last time I had met such a wily opponent….
I grunted in frustration. The small red track that drops the marble into the bathtub wasn’t snapping nicely into place. I nearly had it in when the rubberband powered stop sign struck the boot, which kicked the bucket that dumped the marble onto the crooked stairs. “Hey! Stop that.” I told her. She reached out and grabbed the marble before it reached the long red track. I went on, “Patience! Seriously!! Let’s finish getting this whole thing set up, then…
Annie and I recently watched a TV program, the episode had something to do with Build-a-Bear, you know the place. You can get your own customized teddy bear assembled and accessorized. As the episode wrapped, Annie and I had a chuckle about that time I took Reggie to Build-a-Bear. “When did that go down?” She asked. “Hmm. Winter, I think. We were in a mall, so the lockdown had not yet happened.” “The Before Time.” She said, dramatically. “Nice one!…
He sat in his truck, both hands on the steering wheel, watching her in the rearview mirror walking away to her new life. “Are you still holding on?” She asked. When she had no answer, she tentatively looked over her shoulder and saw that he was not holding on. He was watching her, one hand on his hip, the other wiping something out of his eye. She was terrified then immediately thrilled. “Daddy! Look at me!” She shrieked, “No training…
“Project Night has been cancelled.” Project Night—The big spring event at Lydia’s school. It’s the culmination of a school year focused on research, presentation, and project-based collaborative learning. It’s a beloved event by students, teachers, parents, and alumni. The announcement was heart-breaking. It was the first of many heart-breaking announcements that came in waves, one right after the other. Schools were closed down, businesses, particularly restaurants, “non-essential” businesses. I had a particular frown for that one, “every business is essential…to…
Well, happy Lockdown! We’re now on day…uhm. Who really gives a crap anymore? I’m not even certain what day of the week it is. This lockdown has been immensely frustrating. The frustrations include income, homeschooling (made easier by dedicated and adaptable teachers) and general socialization. The girls are sick of each other, they are sick of us, and frankly, we can use a break from them too. I can elaborate, but we know there are others who are having a…
“Daddy? Why do your fingernails look so…”? “Misshapen and ugly?” I smiled, finishing what they were trying to say. “Yeah.” “First, it’s really just two of them. But anyway, I have a theory,” I replied, noting the fat bumps on my pointer and middle fingers, “Nail bed trauma!” “What’s that?” “Trauma is another word for something nasty that happens to someone…or something.” “What happened?” “My hand was sucked into a machine.” “Get out!” replied Regina. “Are you making this up?”…
Back in 2005, Carol Aebersold and her daughter Chandra Bell self-published a book called The Elf on the Shelf. For anyone who does not know this tradition, the book comes with a plush Elf. This elf sits on a shelf and “observes” the children of the household and brings a report to Santa every night. The elf returns in the morning and can be found in a new place every day. What this means for parents is that…