Hey Mom: Can I borrow your phone? When you have not had the pleasure of sharing company with your irreverent twenty-one-year-old son for a while (like, say, for TWO YEARS), it is easy to forget that this is probably a loaded question. And that you should ask why. And make it clear that your phone … Continue reading Seven Dangerous Words
Humor
Mise En Place
Today I had a huge, long list of stuff I planned to do. Some was work related, some was house related (actually most was house related), and there was the usual catching up on correspondence. Handsome Chef Boyfriend's mandate to me as he was leaving this morning: go out and pick up sticks. (Manly Vermonter … Continue reading Mise En Place
Tiny Step over a Giant Threshold
I am officially published in this here magazine. It has been a long time coming, and I hope it is just the beginning. There are great big changes on the horizon for me, about which more later. Meanwhile, this made me smile today; the topic is relevant in so very many ways. Oh, and who wouldn't … Continue reading Tiny Step over a Giant Threshold
I’ve created a LOL monster.
A while back I wrote a little story about a particular brand of fifth grade humor and my penchant for it. Call it a character flaw if you must, but I wear it proudly. I even sent my dad a fart-themed birthday card last April. (Really, can the world have too many fart jokes? I … Continue reading I’ve created a LOL monster.
Tolerance 1, Extremism Zip
As some of my friends can attest, I generally eschew heated debates about politics. Or religion. Especially religion. One of my friends back in Tennessee loves her a good political debate so much that she has thrown entire debate-themed parties (usually to follow election returns), inviting lots of folks from both sides of the aisle, … Continue reading Tolerance 1, Extremism Zip
Hankerin’ for Red Onions
Handsome Chef Boyfriend arrived last night, which could mean only one thing: bad puns and good eatin'. (Okay, two things.) In the daily morning call we decided on homemade pizza for dinner. Get whatever you want for toppings, he said. My mom used to ask me if I had a hankerin' for something when I … Continue reading Hankerin’ for Red Onions
Bleeding Hearts and Good Intentions
Dang, that sounds like a country song. It is time to fess up and explain what happened in the Secret Garden. The ugly truth is that I tried to have my first-ever vegetable garden and the stupid groundhog emerged victorious. The wind is officially knocked out of my sails. Groundhog 1, Deb zip. No beans, no … Continue reading Bleeding Hearts and Good Intentions
Princess Diaries
I rendered Handsome Chef Boyfriend speechless yesterday right before he launched for home. I love when that happens. On Saturday we had dinner at possibly the best burger joint ever, which happens to be very close to my house. (They also have a nice selection of craft beer on tap there.) We sat at the sunny bar … Continue reading Princess Diaries
Polar Vortex
Yes, it really is as bad as it seems. Looks like a five-year-old got into the yarn, huh? Or maybe the booze? Multiply by ten, and you're almost there. I remember an epic argument between my teenage self and my mama just before my senior year in high school. Take Home Economics, she urged; you … Continue reading Polar Vortex
Make ‘Em Laugh
Lariska Dumbchenko, aka Raffaele Morra; http://www.trockadero.org Important lesson: take your work seriously, but not yourself. Prima ballerina assoluta Dame Margot Fonteyn is quoted as having said this, as are scores of others. I heard it again earlier today during a conversation with Raffaele Morra, who was visiting the ballet school where I teach this morning … Continue reading Make ‘Em Laugh
Sycamore Stories 