I’m in Denver where it’s about 10°. Back home in Madison it’s -10°. And in Minneapolis it was also about -10° this afternoon and they’re marching in the streets. We’re here visiting the grandkids. Here’s Callan, the newest one. Jasper at about the same age when I first started doing granny daycare at his house. … [Read more…]
Here’s a sign of how old I am. All these groups and organizations in Madison are celebrating 50th anniversaries this year. Or last year, like Willy Street Co-op. WORT, our community radio station where I was a volunteer and then a volunteer programmer and then a Board member from about 1984-1991, is 50 this year. … [Read more…]
Except it really wasn’t, it was more like a fun four days in our old home town. For years my brother and have talked about going to Pittsburgh, visit our parents grave, wander around some of our old haunts, maybe see a few old friends. And that’s pretty much exactly what we did, except we … [Read more…]
I mean, cookie season’s not quite over; there’re still quite a few cookies in the house, buckets with kinds we like for us to eat, clamshells that people will be picking up for the leftover cookie grab, and I think the cookie fairy will go her rounds Tuesday. But still, it’s time to reflect on … [Read more…]
But it didn’t quite work out. Yesterday – Thursday – was supposed to be a long day. My schedule was go to campus, volunteer at the book sale, meet a studnet (who didn’t show), followed by back-to-back online class meetings, one at 6:00 PM, and one at 8:00. And somewhere in there, between 4:00 and … [Read more…]
One of the books I’m reading for the Wisconsin Library Association awards is Tomboyland, by Melissa Faliveno. I read the first essay, The Finger of God, that’s partially about the tornado that clobbered Barneveld in 1984. The sirens didn’t go off, and the tornado killed 9 people and destroyed 90% of the structures in the … [Read more…]
With apologies to Jane, who gave him to me years ago, I threw away the terribly dusty Jerry Garcia doll. I kept the Smithsonian commemorative miniature Teddy Bear that sat in Jerry’s lap, that Al had wanted one of desperately at one point, but couldn’t have cared less about when I bought this one and … [Read more…]
Yesterday was my mother’s 16th yahrzeit. She died on July 22, 2004. Since 2017, it’s also been my younger son and his wife’s wedding anniversary. My brother and I observe the occasion by eating and drinking things my mother liked. Crackers and stinky cheese, white wine, broccoli. Some years I recite, or play an online … [Read more…]
Yesterday I took my knives and the one pair of sewing scissors that I could find to be sharpened. I was sure I had another pair some place, so I brought down the giant Tupperware bin of fabric I had in the attic. I didn’t have time to go all the way through it before … [Read more…]
At first, but now – when I started writing this, Saturday, Groundhogs Day – all of a sudden we’re thawing. I got back last Sunday around 4:00 in the afternoon. The kids had already had a snow day on the Wednesday prior, and more snow was on the way. The airlines sent me a bunch … [Read more…]