Living with a parent as an older adult is not like having a roommate. You may have retired from a successful career and lived as a full-grown, self-sufficient adult, your “roomie” is still your momma, and, in her eyes, you are still 8 years old. Conversations with Momma could be enlightening, challenging, infuriating, and awkward – often simultaneously. Any sentence that began...
I never outgrew my love of the circus. I always dreamed about running away and playing keyboard in the pit band. Instead, I ended up holding down a real job, but there are those days when I still dream about it. I had friends who ran an old-fashioned 3-ring circus under the big tent. It didn’t have all the lights and glamor of the Ringling Brothers, but it was very exciting because you were right...
Petco was hosting a photo opportunity with Santa, so I decided to take Lynda. She had a great Jingle Bell sash that would look great in the picture. When we arrived, we stopped by the grooming salon to say hello to her groomer, Jesus, and the gang. She loves seeing them, and they always take really good care of her. While we waited our turn to see Santa, there were lots of yappy dogs dressed in...
We needed cat litter and a couple of other things. No problem. I’m a drive-by shopper. In and out. Back in a few! Since Walmart had the best price, I went there. It is a place I loathe, but it is the biggest game in these parts — a necessary evil. As I entered the store, reality hit. You can only go as fast as your fellow shoppers. The vortex opened. Time stood still. There was no escape. A young...
The Boys were up for a visit. The other night, they fell asleep on the sofa. Knowing that Mom was tired and her arthritis was kicking her, I offered to help get them to bed. My attempts to rouse the 6-year-old were an epic failure. He wouldn’t budge and fought every attempt to wake him. Mother nudged me aside and said, “That’s OK. Here’s what you need to do. I used to do this with you and your...
I had to postpone hip-replacement surgery at the last minute. A day of multiple mishaps culminated in the postponement of a major surgery because of a cat. My day should have gone like this … a 9 AM appointment at the hospital to complete paperwork and have blood drawn. At 11:15, I was to hand off the cats, Rudy and River, to the owner of A Country Cat House, a rather posh hotel for felines, and...
“It’s always been my experience that no matter where you go, there you are.” When a friend and I vacationed in France many years ago, we started in Paris. He had a stack of travel guides and language books to help us navigate the city. We had different flights and were to meet at the airport. He was about an hour ahead of me. When we met up, he was very agitated and anxious...
Temmi, Eddie, Cindy, Beth, Trudy, Carolyn, Lisa, Kim, Beverly, Jamie … all of us together. We played. We laughed. We argued. But, most of all, we loved. A few years ago, I encountered a couple of girls who had not seen each other in a while. They squealed with delight at their reunion. As they hugged, one said, “We need to play!” As beautiful as that moment was, I became sad. I...
The daughter of an old Hollywood family had a beautiful tradition for her birthday. She would call her mother to thank her for being her mother. What a wonderful idea! I started a similar tradition. I sent my mother flowers or a plant that evokes childhood or special memories. Today, it was a basket of gardenias. When I grew up, there was a gardenia bush outside my bedroom window. During the...
When we celebrated my nephew’s seventh birthday, I wasn’t keen on the idea of him turning six the year before. Despite my angst, I realized that there was nothing I could do about his turning seven. There we were, celebrating getting another year older. He was all excited with the attention, especially with the presents. When asked if he wanted to open presents first or have the cake first...
My name is Gerry, pronounced with a hard “G.” Mother wanted a non-traditional name for her son - something different. For better or worse, different is what she got.