It’s like riding a bicycle – you never forget how. That’s how I felt recently when I picked up a crochet hook, bought a few skeins of yarn and a new pattern book, and crocheted a baby blanket for some friends of my son who were expecting their first child. Then I made another one for my daughter’s sister-in-law, who is due next month. And now I’m off and running. My grandmother tried teaching me how to crochet when I was young, but it never [...]
I went through a totally humiliating experience this week. Worse, it was entirely self-inflicted. And just for good measure, it was in front of people I respect and admire, even though I don’t really know them very well yet. It happened during a meeting of my new Toastmasters club. I was giving my first speech to the group – one that’s known as the “icebreaker” and that’s meant to help new members get comfortable with speaking. It also lets the rest of the club get [...]
Often, when I look at what’s going on in our country and the world, I get depressed, scared, and extremely concerned about where we’re headed. At other times, however, I see things that fill me with hope and optimism for the future. Last week was one of those. I spent several days last week in a small town in Michigan, talking – and listening – to hundreds of students in dozens of classes, mostly kindergarten through middle school. I was with Tabitha, my friend from [...]
During my first trip to Uganda several years ago, I learned all about being on “Uganda time.” This had nothing to do with clocks or time zones. It was more about the practical realities of getting to your destination – not necessarily when you wanted to be there or were supposed to be there, but when you were able to. Many people had to walk or ride bikes wherever they were going, so weather and other factors had a big impact. But everyone understood this, [...]
The women’s group at my church held its Spring Brunch yesterday. I signed up to attend as soon as I heard about it, and was looking forward to it for a number of reasons. For one thing, I was excited about meeting and getting to know some of the women at our new church. For another, the speaker was going to be a woman from a local nursery, who would be talking about herbs, one of my passions – and one that I’ve been especially [...]
Thunderstorms were predicted for yesterday, and the sky was turning dark as my husband and I finished our shopping and left the store. “Something nasty is coming,” I said, “and it’s more than just a thunderstorm.” When you grow up in the Midwest, as we both did, you get to know the smell and feel of what we call “tornado weather.” It doesn’t mean a tornado is definitely coming, but it means the conditions are right for one to develop. The sky continued to darken [...]
It started with a few creaks and groans on the back wall, which I took to be house-settling noises, ones I would get used to before long. Then I heard some tapping sounds. My husband was working outside, so I looked out the window to see if he was on the deck doing some maintenance on the outside wall. He wasn’t. By the time I heard the pitter-patter of little feet, I knew we had one of two problems. Either the house was haunted or, [...]
The sun was just starting to set as I drove home from the first meeting at my new Toastmasters club. I drove slowly, partly because I’m not entirely familiar yet with the winding roads, and partly because it was the time of day when deer often dart out into the street. We’ve already seen plenty of them, including – along the side of the road – some that didn’t quite make it across safely. When I got home, my husband was sitting out back on [...]
My alarm clock was particularly jarring when it went off this morning. Not because it woke me up out of a sound sleep – I was actually already awake – but because I hardly ever hear it anymore. Since my husband retired and we moved to Georgia a month ago, there have been only a few times when we’ve even set our alarm clock. This morning, it was because we were expecting a delivery that was scheduled for early in the day, and we wanted [...]
A landline telephone. Paper calendars. Print versions of books and newspapers. These are items I refuse to part with, even under pressure – sometimes subtle, sometimes intense – to embrace their technological replacements. Holding on to them often feels like a losing battle, but it’s one I’ll keep fighting nonetheless. It’s a battle that’s come to the forefront, in different ways and with different results, during my recent move to Georgia. Wherever we’ve lived, I’ve always subscribed to a daily newspaper – the Chicago Tribune, [...]