In the years when I was growing up, which were the early years of television, my family watched a lot of TV together. My dad had his recliner, just like Archie Bunker, which no one else was allowed to sit in. My mom sat on one end of the sofa to his right, crocheting. The…
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Suprise Me
“And now, right here on our stage…”
Prompted By Variety Shows
/ Stories
In the years when I was growing up, which were the early years of television, my family watched a lot of TV together. My dad had his recliner, just like Archie Bunker, which no one else was allowed to sit in. My mom sat on one end of the sofa to his right, crocheting. The…
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Munro
Prompted By An Unforgettable Person
/ Stories
Munro – Germany 1945 Munro Our son’s middle name is Munro. It’s a Scottish name and a bit unusual for an American kid, but it’s in keeping with the Jewish tradition of naming a child for someone beloved who has passed away. In fact the Munro we knew had been a mentor to my husband…
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Jonathan Kozol
Prompted By Inequality
/ Stories
Growing up in Detroit, I attended an integrated, large elementary school which encompassed grades K-8. At that time, the curriculum was excellent, but even during the years I attended, 1958-1963, it was already over-crowed and I began kindergarten the February after turning 5, as they had split sessions to accommodate the large numbers of students.…
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Teen Art in the Basement
Prompted By Basements and Attics
/ Stories
The basement looked bright and cheery, and the wall added a lot of color. Alas, the sentiments on the wall remain relevant today.
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The Drama Queen of Sears Customer Service
Prompted By Customer Service
/ Stories
I learned a lot while working at the Sears Customer Service Counter in El Monte, California, in the early sixties while I was attending (what was then called) Cal State LA. Interacting with complaining customers was actually a kind of acting school because we were told always to be positive and sympathetic. True situation: “Oh,…
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Material Girl
Prompted By From Catalogs to Amazon
/ Stories
The maternity clothes in the local stores were too cutesy, as if they wanted to make the mother-to-be look like a little girl.
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Watching the Detectives
Prompted By What Are You Bingeing?
/ Stories
I was never much of a TV watcher until two things happened. First, my son gave us a Roku. Second, the pandemic.
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If they asked me, I could write a book
Prompted By Why We Write
/ Stories
If not for Retrospect, I would probably not be writing at all.
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Summer of the Backyard
Prompted By Pandemic Summer
/ Stories
We are five months into the pandemic. Massachusetts was one of the hardest-hit states and took a long time to reopen. That’s fine with us. Dan ends conversations saying,”Stay healthy, stay safe, stay sane”. In a normal summer, we would have moved to Martha’s Vineyard for the season the week before Memorial Day, but nothing…
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