Category Archives: Uncategorized

Check It Off — Lord Jim

Back-to-back classics. I just read Joseph Conrad’s Lord Jim for the first time. It’s been sitting on the shelf lo these many years, reputedly one of John’s favorite books, and I finally took it down to read. I wonder if … Continue reading

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“Women Hold Up Half the Sky” (a Chinese Proverb)

It appears that more girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century. When I read this line aloud to my husband, he … Continue reading

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Mildred Morgan Changed My Life

Mrs. Morgan, my tenth-grade English teacher, was near retirement age in 1967, white-haired, lively, and enthusiastic. She smiled a lot. She loved teaching and loved teaching writing. She told me I was a good writer. Maybe she said the same to … Continue reading

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Cold/Turkeys

On the rare occasions I shake hands with someone whose hands are even colder than mine, I realize what an unpleasant experience it is. “Icicle” and “dead fish” come to mind. Unfortunately, my frigid fingers are usually subjecting another person … Continue reading

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Churches Not Just Window Dressing

The blog section at Scene, our local alternative weekly, posted a column I recently wrote. Read it here.

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Lowering Expectations for the New Year, Again

In 2003, I wrote a column for the Cleveland Plain Dealer about New Years Resolutions. As in previous years, I aspired to read all of Proust, give up sugar, meditate daily, be nicer to my family, get up earlier, keep my desk … Continue reading

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The Patchwork Sweater

This essay appeared in the Plain Dealer’s “Her Say” spot in 1997, a few years after my mother-in-law’s death. A family friend just asked for a copy, and when I dug the old clipping out,it seemed like a good thing … Continue reading

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Accompaniments to Cooking

I imagine I’m not the only one to put on my favorite music while I’m cooking. Then there are some pieces that are special to this season. Our regular Christmas cd’s are satisfactory accompaniment, except John’s Slovenian Christmas album. And he’s … Continue reading

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The Gender/Cookie Theory

During this cookie season, my husband’s theory always comes up. To wit: women prefer crispy cookies, while men prefer chewy, soft ones. At a holiday party the other day, a lady fell into the appropriate demographic. When I offered her … Continue reading

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Gridlock

Yesterday we had a big snowstorm here in Cleveland. My drive home from work – normally about half an hour — took five hours. That’s right. Five hours. 2:30 to 7:30. Broad daylight to darkness. Along about the three-hour mark, … Continue reading

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