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A springtime dog story
March 17, 2013 Wisteria. Fragrant, lovely, and a source of shade. Fond of all those qualities and seduced by a cool arbor at the nursery...
Mar 17, 20133 min read
Women's rights? Out come knitting needles
April 22, 2012 I took Alice, my visiting mother-in-law, for a ride in the Avenues one day, heading to Hatch’s for a chocolate fix, when...
Apr 22, 20123 min read
A lament for the lost children
January 15, 2012 To the unparented son: I am so sorry your mother failed you. I’m sorry she had you so young, that she didn't go to...
Jan 15, 20123 min read
What did we do in Kathmandu, after all
November 27, 2011 Traveling to Nepal has been a joy. Meeting our friend Chet’s wonderful family — and living with them like part of the...
Nov 27, 20113 min read
Awful global sex trade is growing worse
November 13, 2011 Sumitra is tall and model-thin with waist-length black hair and large, almond eyes. She’s 16, a beautiful, studious...
Nov 13, 20113 min read
Home ground: Meet the goat you will eat
November 26, 2011 We are in Bhaktapur, Nepal, an ancient town near Kathmandu, with our friends Chet and Annie. Chet is from Nepal and...
Nov 6, 20113 min read
Road to Nepal: One bad thing after another
October 30, 2011 I shouldn’t tempt fate by saying this, but 2011 has been the worst year Chris and I have faced in our 25 years together....
Oct 30, 20113 min read
People who replaced my knee are just that:— People
August 14, 2011 Grasping a morphine pump in my hand, child of the 60s that I am, I imagine recreational drug use might get my mind off...
Aug 14, 20113 min read
Why did we turn our lives over to a puppy?
June 26, 2011 Ever accident prone, Chris and I have accidentally adopted a puppy. This began as the idea of one of the teenagers we...
Jun 26, 20113 min read
Keys to marriage found in a Coke can
May 15, 2011 Chris and I placed our world on temporary hold to visit his parents, ages 91 and 87. Chris’s folks are amazing people. But...
May 15, 20113 min read
Personal crisis overwhelms even news from Japan
March 20, 2011 As a global-scale tragedy plays out on the world’s stage, I am aware of the colossal loss, but only barely. This is the...
Mar 20, 20113 min read
Taking on teens changes life in many ways
January 16, 2011 Over the holidays Chris and I accidentally adopted teenagers. This is not another column about stray kittens under the...
Jan 16, 20113 min read
At 50, it's a very good thing to have a birthday
May 30, 2010 I met a sweet little baby named Barbara the other day. Just kidding. There are no babies named Barbara. Name fashion has...
May 30, 20103 min read
Spread the word -- using the ‘r’-word just not cool
March 21, 2010 Right up front, I’ll confess that I’ve used the “r” word and even that it probably wasn’t as long ago as I’d like. While...
Mar 21, 20103 min read
Centenarian house gets a visitor
February 21, 2010 I came home one day last October to find Chris in the front yard, leaning on our rake, hunched down and looking...
Feb 21, 20103 min read