Today started out just like I expected. My birthday morning coffee was spectacularly special, because I shared it with the love of my life, Tom; my precious oldest sister, Ann; and my oldest friend, Dan; and all of us around the same table. I grinned at birthday greetings from my friends all over the world … read more Not quite the birthday I expected
Author: Lisa
Hog drop
As we were leaving the 4th of July parade in downtown Norwalk, a poster for the St. Alphonsus church festival caught our attention. There was one event we couldn’t picture: the Hog Drop. There was some cryptic mention of squares, but that didn’t help us. All I could imagine is that they maybe mark squares … read more Hog drop
Alma’s progeny
Every summer for the past five years, my sister Ann and I have come to Ohio for a week. We do ancestry research and visit old friends. And our Schnellinger cousins host a family reunion. Every year, there’s at least a couple of relatives I don’t know. Usually I know all my cousins, but not … read more Alma’s progeny
The big bang bang bang bang POP!
My big sister Ann was so excited to take me to my first fireworks display. I was almost two years old and I liked pretty things – she figured I’d love the sparkle and bright colors of the fireworks. After the first few fireworks exploded, I began waving my hands to cover my eyes, and … read more The big bang bang bang bang POP!
Through the lens
In the midst of the reunion, my cousin Gary pulled me aside. “I have something for you,” he said. “Is now a good time?” I hadn’t seen Gary more than a couple times in the past 45 years. I couldn’t imagine what he could have brought from Arizona for me, or why we needed to … read more Through the lens
Treehouse
We are staying in treehouses on this trip. Our AirBnB lodging was on the second floor, and around the windows were huge old trees. I laid in bed watching birds and squirrels eat and frolic. They were at my eye level and we all looked down on the world. Now at our vacation rental near … read more Treehouse
Bodies of light
I’m a window person, not an aisle person. When you’re 35,000 feet above the ground, you can see how small we are, and how big the earth is. I want to see that every chance I get. The clouds from the window on the flight yesterday were spectacular. Towering bodies of bulky white, spirit formations … read more Bodies of light
Enabled passengers
We were so pleased to have gotten seats in Row 2 on our flight to Ohio. You get served first, you get off the plane first. Tom wanted to put his bag in the overhead bin right above our seats so that he could grab it quickly when we deplaned, but the people seated in … read more Enabled passengers
Whack job
For seven months I have been patiently growing out my hair. After it was shaved in one place for the brain fluid drain and then chopped off by the nurse tech, I figured that my hair, like my brain, needed time to recover. Eventually my hair was long enough that the weight of it was pulling … read more Whack job
Stone soup
It just about kills me to waste food. I grew up with Catholic guilt and “the starving children in Africa” clanging in my head – but the real pain comes from the thought of how much labor, non-renewable energy, and time went into producing that ear of corn or that chunk of tofu and delivering … read more Stone soup