Memories of Mom #8
After our parents' divorce, Christmases were split: even years in Iowa with Mom, odd years with Dad in New York and then North Carolina. Unfairly to Mom, we enjoyed Dad…
Memories of Mom #7
Rye Playland is an amusement park conveniently close to my grandparent's home in Westport, CT, an easy and inexpensive place to take the grandchildren. Even though we only went a…
Memories of Mom #6
In September 1970, my parents bought their first house in Brooklyn just before I started kindergarten. I don't believe we immediately moved - child-proofing was likely required, or perhaps even…
Memories of Mom #5
[Those whom know me and my dislike of dogs understand the irony in writing about puppies. If that bothers you, just focus on the personal side of the story as…
Memories of Mom #4
Mom and her boyfriend, Tom, held a yard sale to substantially slim down what was moving to Iowa with us. At some point, she left to pick Courtney and me…
Memories of Mom #3
Most divorces, no matter how contentious, are not often interesting from a legal perspective. However, my parents' divorce was unusual in that it wound its way all the way to…
Memories of Mom #2
Sixth grade marked my entry into middle school at my rural Iowa school district with a multitude of changes: new classmates from the other elementary school; subject-specific teachers; a regimented…
Memories of Mom #1
For April Fools' Day, my first grade teacher at PS 20 Brooklyn, Mrs. Fox, to prank our mothers by saying There's a hole in your panty hose. April Fools! Being…
Favorite Time of the Year!
Not Christmas, with the obligatory gift-giving, but post-Christmas where a sense of normality returns. Yes, I'm a true Grinch, but unlike the Dr. Seuss character my heart has not grown…
Deciding When To Die
Today, the United Kingdom House of Commons legalized assisted dying, also known as assisted suicide in the United States. Assisted suicide is legal in other countries and in ten US…