Giving Thanks for Oranges

I felt honor-bound to eat every one of those oranges—to savor each one as long as possible. They were a gift from my mother, mail-ordered for my 41st birthday, and they would be the last gift that I ever received from her.
The oranges arrived while my husband, daughter and I were visiting my family [...]

Learning to Knit Words

For years I have knitted words to create sentences that roll off the tongue in a comfortable rhythm, words that flow to create meaning. Each sentence is looped together with the next using a limited number of techniques (transitional phrases, repeated words, etc.) to create an unlimited number of patterns and finished pieces.
Now I am [...]

A Wisconsin-Hardy Tinkerbell

When I was a little girl, I loved dressing up for Halloween, but inevitably the weather would turn cold October 31, and my mom would make me wear a coat over my Halloween costume. I hated that.
I couldn’t figure out how anyone was supposed to see my costume if I had to wear a [...]

Of Square Toilets and Round Plungers

“Oh Phil! Did you know that you can’t plunge a square toilet with a round plunger?”
And so began the letter to Phil, who was in Greece, in which I wrote to tell him about my parents’ 50th anniversary party.
My parents had their 50th anniversary party in August of 2001, and the tale of [...]

And She Held a Baby

My Mom cried to me over the phone about her fear that she would never get to hold you in her arms. I reassured her with platitudes about how she would feel better if she would get out and walk and exercise. I didn’t hear that Mom was sitting on the side of the bed [...]