“Can I get you anything else, hon?” “How ‘bout ‘dem O’s, hon.” “Have a good day, hon.” “Hon, your coat belt is dragging on the ground” And my personal favorite, when my husband ordered mashed potatoes with his sour beef at the local diner, the waitress (all the waitresses here grew up in South Baltimore)… Continue reading Downy Ocean, Hon
My neighborhood grocery store closed after decades of serving the community in which I grew up and currently live. I’m struggling to balance the hurt of seeing photos online of empty shelves with pleasant memories that keep flooding back in my visual recall. Not satisfied with the word of mouth and articles of announcement that… Continue reading Grocery Store Blues
When I was in the fourth grade, I fell off a cannon and broke my elbow. It happened on the President’s Day school holiday multiple decades ago. Although they say I went into shock when it happened, I still recall everything about it: From my mother calling over her shoulder as I walked out the… Continue reading Broken Bones and Cannons/Talking With My Grandfather
It all started when they stopped serving Diet Coke. “We don’t carry coke products anymore,” the food vendor said. And an ever so slight chill went up my spine at the utterance of the words. So slight, it was nearly undetected. I don’t recall the exact date but I know it was prior to July… Continue reading My Happy Place
I dove head first into the social online communities that sprung up on the internet beginning in March of 2020 (we all know what happened in March 2020), and I remain, 18 months later, in awe of my good fortune. Already more than a year into an online program for my soul, I met a… Continue reading Driving To Malibu
Let’s talk bats. Since I am not an expert on this subject, I’ll be doing a little research as I write this story. Let’s learn together, shall we? The purpose of this story is because every day I see a bunch of bats flying around in a group outside my house. Is that what we… Continue reading Bats in the City
My next-door neighbor has a cat named Frankie. Every morning, as I sit writing in my journal, I catch a glimpse of Frankie as he comes out to greet the day. I recline in my writer’s chair positioned in my second-floor back room – my office – with my curtains pulled open as far back… Continue reading Frankie, a cat tale
Photo note: The May procession through our neighborhood where my grandfather came to show his support. The Last Time I was Home was when I did a real estate tour of the former house where I grew up. The house became home that day because the most important person in my young life, my grandfather,… Continue reading The Last Time I Was Home
Synchronicity Fair warning. There is a lot going on in this story. It has to do with the ways so many pieces of my life have come together to form one landing spot where I’m convinced the universe wants me to travel. And I’m one who meets any goals the universe has set aside for… Continue reading Synchronicity
Happy New Year from My Bookshelf! After spending two weeks in quarantined celebration mode (yes, that became a thing this year), I headed back to “the grind” kicking and screaming. Quarantine celebration consists mostly of reading, over-indulging in social media, watching TV – a lot, eating, sleeping late, and thinking about all the parties you… Continue reading Welcome to My Bookshelf
In My Life 