On report card day, we stopped by Papaw’s house on the way home he polished his glasses on his shirt front slid my grade card from its manila sleeve opened it carefully and studied for a long moment “Can’t you do any better than that?” he teased, hiding a grin eyes twinkling “Straight As again!”…
I bought six pumpkins this week after what most people would consider undue deliberation. Determined to buy pumpkins with curly stems, I parked myself outside Walmart, Lowes, and Kroger (in that order), standing next to huge cardboard cartons nearly as tall as I was. For over a quarter of an hour at each stop, I…
My one-year-old granddaughter and I took a nature walk today. She toddled beside me, holding my hand. She was wearing a pink and red striped shirt, pink leggings, and purple converse (spotted with pastel polka dots). With the backdrop of early fall, Blair Louise stood out like a spring flower. Walking is new to her….
I’m going back to work…sort of. After 15 months of retirement (following a 31-year career as a teacher), I’ve decided to go back into the classroom as a substitute. I’m not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I look forward to reading and writing with students again. On the other hand, I’m…
I have had many collections over the years. It started with pigs… when I was nine. (Thank you, E.B. White) ceramic pigs plush pigs pigs carved from wood blown from glass clay pigs a pig gifted to me by a dear friend a fellow 4th grade artist (his medium: a gently chewed piece of pink…
When I don’t know where to go, I go back to Galley Street… to the house Papaw built. It’s Saturday night, 1980. Granny is reading while Papaw works a crossword puzzle, so confident he uses an ink pen. A train trundles by on the tracks across the river. At 10-years-old, I stay up past my…
at the beach, on the sand all footprints disappear erased by waves that roll ashore everyday of every year bare, browned, sunburned blistered, tender, tough barnacled with bunions, polished, pedicured, and rough sandaled, flip-flopped, aching the palest of scarred soles covered up in freckles all freckled up with moles a father’s long feet zigging on…
I swam in the ocean today. The warm waves carried me. Small fish skimmed over the tops of my feet, tickling my ankles. The water was so clear, I could see the pinpricks of the fish larvae’s slick black eyes. My daughter-in-law and son swam near me, tossing my 13-month-old granddaughter back and forth between…
Recently, I was dining with a dear friend (and former colleague) who has not yet retired. She was regaling me with school tales…many of which are continuing sagas from drama that was occurring when I was still working almost 15 months ago. While recounting her tale, she mistakenly (having just swallowed a bite of apple…
I’m a coffee drinker; but the idea of a full British tea is so appealing to me today that I find myself daydreaming of cucumber sandwiches, scones, clotted cream, and delicate china teacups. This morning, I Googled “authentic British tea near me.” Since I live in central Kentucky, the results were minimal as one might…