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Decisions Shape Us
“It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped.” Tony Robbins, author and inspirational speaker My husband and I studied the trip itinerary for “Tulip Times on the Jewels of the Rhine” for the fifth time. We have a tough decision to make; one that could shape our future, maybe even our destiny. I’ve long dreamed about river cruising in Europe and this Mayflower trip includes seeing the colorful fields of tulips in the Netherlands, touring a medieval castle in Germany, spending time in a picturesque town in France, and riding a gondola where we’ll soak…
Sweet Grandma or Superwoman?
Have you ever wondered what you would do in a scary situation? Let’s say someone reached in your car and grabbed your wallet or phone or purse. A woman I met last fall at a folk art school in Door County, Marge, had this happen to her when she was 79. At my first glance of the 4’11” 80-year-old woman, I thought “sweet grandma.” After joining her for a meal in the dining room, I got to hear her remarkable story. Being the kind-hearted soul she was, Marge had helped at a church rummage sale and wanted to drop off…
My Long-suffering Husband
This morning I asked my husband to duck-tape my wrists together. He raised his eyebrows, but he took the tape and gave my wrist two wraps. Frank is used to my strange demands which often involve a scene I’m writing. Today, I’m working on the climax of a new young adult novel in which a serial killer has taped my heroine’s wrists together. I watched a YouTube on how she could escape from this and wanted to try it. With two wraps of tape around my wrists, I raised my arms over my head, then in one quick movement, I…
Remarkable Animal Moms
Human moms aren’t the only ones who take extraordinary steps to protect and care for their young. Animal moms, too, will sacrifice and risk their lives for their young. Earlier this winter, while my husband and I pulled Christmas lights and decorations out of the storage area above our garage, we found something both disturbing and intensely moving. A pregnant mouse, caught in one of the small box-like traps my husband keeps up there, had, before she died, pulled out her fur to make a nest. She hadn’t lived long enough to give birth, but she had used the last…
Pickleball: you can’t lose
Pickleball, a mashup of tennis, badminton, and Ping-pong, which appeals mainly to seniors, is the fastest growing sport in America. The court is smaller than a tennis court, so seniors often choose it over tennis since it’s easier on the knees. My husband and I discovered the game five years ago. We learned the fundamentals, and now often play three times a week. You may have heard that quarterback Tom Brady has invested in the game, or that celebrities such as Bill and Melinda Gates, the Kardashians, Will Smith, Ellen DeGeneres, and George and Amal Clooney love playing it. Last…
Special Days to Last a Lifetime
What if you could return in time and relive any day in your life? That question came up over the holidays and has rumbled around in my head ever since. Would you return to a big event day such as a wedding? It would be wonderful to relive a joyous celebration, although I have pictures of those special days and I’d probably choose something else. How about returning to a special family day? I’m thinking about one when I bundled up the kids in their snowsuits and we trekked off to pick out a Christmas tree, old hound dog bounding…
Families Share Much More than DNA
My granddaughter turned 21 last week. I still remember when she was three and a half-years-old and she looked across the dinner table studying my face. “Grammy, you have blue eyes.” “Yes,” I said, “and they’re the same ice-blue color as yours.” Our common eye color is coincidence, not genetics, but as in many stepfamilies, Vanessa and I share something much more important than DNA. Earlier that June day, she had asked if I would take her to the “fairy forest” near our family cabin. We explored under the delicate tree canopy, among the sphagnum moss and plants that look…
An Old-Fashioned Christmas
The family requested having Christmas at the cabin in northern Wisconsin this year. That means one family will have to sleep in the tiny basement and the other in the garage, or what we call the bunkhouse. My husband designed built-in Murphy beds and there’s a wood-burning stove inside, but the decor is early-American tool bench. The family doesn’t seem to care. The Wi-Fi is iffy in northern Wisconsin and phones break up unless you don snow gear and plod down the hill toward the lake where trees don’t interfere. If we need groceries, we’ll have to plow the long…