Our 46th wedding anniversary was last weekend. Number forty-six doesn’t merit much recognition, though I gave my husband a couple of Hallmark cards. We ate Thanksgiving leftovers, so I didn’t have to cook. It snowed the night before, but the weather warmed enough that no shoveling was necessary. Still, we […]
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Picking Up After Baby’s Visit
I am writing this post just a few hours after I dropped my daughter and granddaughter off at the airport. We had a delightful week, with lots of grandma and baby time. I have been very fortunate to spend almost four weeks of my granddaughter’s 8-month life with her—I saw […]
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A Birthday Celebration and A Few Old Posts
Today, October 4, is my husband’s birthday. I searched through my post archives and found that I have only written one post specifically about his birthday. That was four years ago on a milestone birthday, and the post turned very philosophical. This year is not a milestone birthday. Those come […]
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On Babies, Problems, Anxious People, and Answers
Babies and dogs are good listeners. Even when they aren’t paying attention, it is really easy to talk to them, to tell them your problems. They don’t care about anything other than their own needs, but at least they don’t offer advice. When I spent time with my granddaughter in […]
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Variations of Normal Through the Generations
My daughter tells me her parent/baby group shows her nine variations of normal. What her baby—my granddaughter—does is one variation. But measuring one baby against another is a pointless exercise. She is right. The baby books from past generations in my family show more variations of normal. Comparing these variations […]
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Insomnia at Six Months
I wrote in my last post about forgetting my laptop when I went to visit my granddaughter. Readers recommended I just play with the baby, and that’s what I did for the week I was with her. Peekaboo. Reading crinkle books and board books. Singing. Walks in the stroller. Practicing […]
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From Old Photos to Aura Frame
I’ve written many times about photographs taken from my childhood or from my children’s childhood. When I was young, black and white snapshots were still the norm. My grandfather got a color camera sometime while I was still a toddler, but my dad didn’t get one of those snazzy new […]
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A Story I Want to Tell My Granddaughter: Boom-Boom Bunny (or Birdie)
When I was first born, my parents brought me home to a tiny pre-fabricated house on Roberts Street in Richland, Washington. It had two bedrooms, but apparently my room was very small. I don’t remember living in that house, and I’ve never seen any pictures of my bedroom there, so […]
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Weston Bend State Park: A Short Hike and a Small Summer Adventure
My husband and I have done very little traveling since the pandemic hit. Health issues (non-Covid-related) and shut-downs have kept us close to home. This past Memorial Day weekend, the weather was perfect, and we didn’t want to be cooped up in the house. We were determined to find something […]
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Swapping Kids in Madras, Oregon
In response to my last email newsletter, one reader wrote me about how her family regularly switched children from parents to grandparents for visits. That reminded me of how my family did the same when I was growing up. The childhood swaps I remember best were in Madras, Oregon. Madras, […]
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