Suprise Me

Maybe my mother did not have the shopping gene or never shook off the Depression and Protestant ethos, but she seems to have passed that shopping ambivalence on to me. Read More

As the train progressed ... people boarded with fruit, produce, and the occasional chicken and goat. Read More

The Goops, they lick their fingers, And the Goops, they lick their knives; They spill their broth on the tablecloth, Oh, they lead disgusting lives! Read More

One guilty pleasure I share with my husband is PBS Masterpiece Theater serials Read More

A museumgoer and an artist, I think a lot about the symbiosis between looker and maker. Read More

Lost Luggage When our son Noah was 4 or 5 we took him on his first plane trip to Aruba for a week’s vacation. I bought a set of matching suitcases on wheels in three sizes –  the big one for my husband,  the middle one for me,  and the small one for Noah,  and once… Read More

Instead of a heart-to-heart talk, we sang along with a "classic rock" station at the top of our lungs. Read More

My senior year in college I had dinner at Dan’s parents (still living in Newton, MA) every Sunday night. Gladys might help me with my lesson plans first semester, as I was a student teacher and she was a seasoned one. Second semester, after Dan and I became engaged, we talked about the future. She… Read More

Dr. Byrne's office was in his home in East Orange, New Jersey ... What first struck me whenever I entered was olfactory ... Read More

Bone of Contention  My mother never made much of a fuss over mealtimes,   nor did she take much pride in her own cooking – although I never remember a meal at her table that wasn’t delicious.  (See My Game Mother,   Still Life) She was a high school art teacher,   and came home every afternoon,… Read More