Orene Dunzweiler is larger than life, something I’m trying to focus on as we anticipate her suddenly looming, inconceivable death. I feel dizzy at the thought of her not being here and after a morning of sobbing all I can do is write. I hope to document some shred of how important she is to … Continue reading
Lifelong Love
My father is larger than life. His gregarious personality has led him into countless spontaneous friendships, marvelous toasts, thousands of entertaining (albeit predictable) exchanges with restaurant waitstaff, and into a marriage of remarkable endurance. He met my mother while working at the local Safeway in his twenties, putting himself through college and then law school. … Continue reading
A Surprising Encounter With a Stranger (a.k.a., When Someone You Don’t Know Says Exactly What You Need to Hear)
I’ve been struggling with my daughter recently. Well, not so much recently, but since she was born. Since before then, actually. Since the 48-hour-long labor that almost took us both out. Since the week that followed in the hospital where I required chest X-rays in the middle of the night, extra oxygen to keep me … Continue reading
Birthdays, whiskey, joys of the crockpot
On the eve of my 41st birthday, I am celebrating, alone, by getting drunk and fat on whiskey, while watching the Olympics. Is that the worst or the best? I’m really not sure. There’s a lot going on these days, a lot of life, death, disease and dealing. Evidenced by the above. That aside (or … Continue reading
A Fourth of July Post: Home is Wherever With You
On the morning of my fifth wedding anniversary last week, I sat by myself in a salon. It was a rare moment alone, without responsibility, doing something just for me. That night, I was to celebrate the occasion with my husband at dinner out – only the second time in more than two years (since our kids were born) that we’ve gone … Continue reading
Mom Foods
I wanted to post this on Mother’s Day, the day that everyone is focused on the important role mothers play in our lives. But late-spring sickness has ravaged our household, this mom included, making the holiday weekend a bit of a bust for writing or any sort of productivity beyond snot-sucking tiny noses, constantly blowing … Continue reading
Corn Salad and Crying Kids
Tonight I felt as though my children were trying to kill me. Not intentionally, but subtly, strongly, assuredly, through their inability to calm down and go the f— to sleep. I am exhausted. I love them. I feel frustrated by them. And at a loss as to what else to do in these situations, with … Continue reading
A Wish About Time, For My Children
I wrote this in what felt like a heartbeat. In the year that I turn 40 and am experiencing life with two kids under two, the subject of time is a bit of an obsession these days. Speed it up, slow it down, freeze it, make sense of it, create more of it. This little … Continue reading
You’ve Got Heart: Gail Jones, In Memoriam, 1951-2014
It is important to write. For so many reasons, it is important to write. Writing helps to document, for now, for the future. Helps to preserve a moment of feeling, information about a topic, stories to share with others. Helps to process difficult things, helps to remember wonderful things, helps to create a record of … Continue reading
Woman of the World
When I interviewed her, she was making quinoa and roasted vegetables for company that night. “I really don’t cook,” she told me flatly. This is the current, no-frills specialty of a young woman who is the most cosmopolitan I know. A true global citizen, she grew up around the world – but mostly in the … Continue reading
Cravings of Home 