The 12 gifts of Christmas

Tom and I don’t usually buy each other presents for Christmas. But today I got at least a dozen gifts. Wahoo! What a haul! The first gift came at 7 a.m. when I woke up and got out of bed. I didn’t die 13 months ago, but even better, my brain is working again. That’s a gift … read more The 12 gifts of Christmas

The invisible tree

Of all the Christmas trees I’ve decorated, I only remember one. The most beautiful one. I was single, and working at my first newspaper job. I lived alone in a darling apartment, the upper floor of a former carriage house behind a very grand house on Mahoning Avenue. Depression hovered. I was learning to take care … read more The invisible tree

A new feeling

On Monday afternoon, I had the strangest sensation. I’d slept pretty well, gotten up and read with my coffee, worked on a blog post, then got down to work. I rapidly cranked out a bunch of tasks. Something felt different, but familiar. It was like, like …. I mentally squinted, trying to figure out what … read more A new feeling

Re-gifted

Sometimes people get gifts they don’t want, so they just give them to someone else. Christmas is a great excuse for this practice of “re-gifting.” That happened to me today. I woke to a rainy, misty day on the mountain. I got up because my back was aching to move. I was very slow, still a … read more Re-gifted

Only a few

We dragged three boxes of Christmas decorations out of storage yesterday, knowing we didn’t need them. We’d already decided that a tree with ornaments would be too much hassle. But there were a few items we needed from those boxes. We only wanted the lights. Just plain, white lights. Simple candles (electric) in the front windows, … read more Only a few