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Let’s Be A Little Reckless “It’s a smile, it’s a kiss, it’s a sip of wine … it’s summertime!” Kenny Chesney As you know, I went from an intense case of seasonal allergies to a miserable cold, and if that wasn’t enough, there was a hostile takeover of my sinuses which had the added bonus […]

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“I think you travel to search and you come back home to find yourself there.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie I’m leaning over the deck of life, clapping my hands awkwardly as I watch the water flow through the narrows of Clear Lake, searching for the deeper meaning of the common cold. Okay, if I was honest, […]

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Cora, Dante, Kelley, Sienna, Tony, Cheryl, and Audrey (Larry is the photographer) Like any published memoir, our own life stories should also come with a disclaimer: “This story that I tell about myself is only based on a true story. I am in large part a figment of my own yearning imagination.” And it’s a […]

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There Are The Ones We Push, The Ones That Hold Everything Together, And The Ones We Replace. “The simplest toy, one which even the youngest child can operate, is called a grandparent.”  Sam Levenson I dug into my old sewing basket that sits on top of the washing machine and resurrected seventeen distinctive yet exclusive […]

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“For everything sacred has the substance of dreams and memories, and so we experience the miracle of what is separated from us by time or distance suddenly being made tangible.” Yukio Mishima You can’t rush a story. Well, at least that’s what I tell Larry when he’s giving me wrap it up sign. I think […]

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“Gainfully unemployed, very proud of it, too.” Charles Baxter Today I want to explore the decision to retire or not to retire. That sounds a little Shakespearian, but if you were born in the 60s, that’s the question that we’re currently grappling with, and instead of whining about it, let’s make an informed decision. As […]

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“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love—then make that day count!” Steve Maraboli …with the early morning, when everything is soft, placid, and the natural light feels oddly romantic. I get actual butterflies in my stomach. It’s as […]

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“Need is often dressed as love, but it is always self-concerned. Love can be dressed any old way it wants, but it will always be concerned with the good of the other.”  Donna Goddard The alarm sounds across the room at 6:30 am. The thoughts spinning in my head are not printable. My first assumption […]

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That Might Depend On Where You’re Standing Do not confuse my bad days as a sign of weakness. Those are the days I am actually fighting my hardest. Author Unknown It has been an exciting, albeit frustrating, week. Do you ever feel like a honey bee trapped in a bell jar, that some asshole just […]

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Is When You’re Afraid, and You Do It Anyway “Having a grandmother is like having an army. This is a grandchild’s ultimate privilege: knowing that someone is on your side, always, whatever the details. Even when you are wrong.” Fredrik Backman “Good morning Grammie.” For the last four days, I have opened my eyes to […]