Category Archives: Life
How Do They Do That?
A couple of weeks ago, Jack tossed some shrubs into a water-filled five-gallon plastic bucket, to root them. I’m a martinet about standing water, since I’m a mosquito magnet and entomophobic. Everybody knows that mosquitoes lay eggs in standing water, … Continue reading
Bloodsuckers
The Republicans vow never to give anything away, except, of course, to the already wealthy. They demand an ever-shrinking government. How will they diminish the varmint? Eliminate taxes on the rich and on corporations, for a start, and protect the … Continue reading
Pummeling the Poor
One item glared at me when I opened my browser to Google news this morning. The headline from the Philadelphia Inquirer screamed the news: Schools, city lose in budget. But don’t worry, taxes won’t rise. And business taxes will actually … Continue reading
Derby Daughter
The concept of Roller Derby never crept into my consciousness until my daughter, Bonnie, told me she was going to try out for a league in Sydney, where she lives. “Roller Derby!” said my brother, George. “Do you know what … Continue reading
Tiny Terrorists with Teeth
Last year, during the rainy season, I seemed to wake up every morning with some new bite on my boob, in my armpit, behind my knee, or in some equally delicate and completely unscratchable area on my torso. It’s the … Continue reading
Before I Forget
If you’re a baby-boomer, like me, you’re probably worried about Alzheimer’s. Seventy-eight million of us are entering our sixties, and, according to SeniorJournal.com, someone in the States develops the dreaded disease every seventy seconds. Among my friends, we joke about … Continue reading
In Good Company
My nephew Jake, or Jake-o-rama, as I like to call him, is autistic. He was diagnosed when he failed to develop language skills at the appropriate age. Autism is a relatively new diagnosis, although it was first described in the … Continue reading
Riding the Floor
About a week after we moved to Japan, my daughter, Bonnie, and I experienced our first earthquake. As we sat on the floor, Japanese style, our legs tucked under the kotatsu for warmth, the apartment began to sway. “Look at … Continue reading
