Tax Day! Mom was something of a pack rat – a neat one, but a pack rat nonetheless. My sister Roberta and I recently went through a box of old photos and papers and came across her 1948 Tax Return. She was a junior in high school at the time, and it turns out at a juncture in her life.
Continue reading “Mom, 1948 and Her Tax Return”
The coffee cup is old and has chips and a crack in it. It was a gift from my buddy Tim Stouffer in 1980 when he visited us in Germany, while returning from a trip to Russia. I think he bought it in a train station somewhere. Tim passed away a little over a year ago, and I’ve thought about whether I should continue using the mug, or put it on a shelf somewhere.
Continue reading “The Coffee Cup”
Well shut my mouth! For the first time, I won a lottery here in Virginia through the state Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) Store. My prize? A bottle of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Bourbon for $150. It’s almost impossible to find, and if you do find it, it’s usually over $700 a bottle.
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My sister, Roberta, created a fun family cookbook of recipes and stories a decade ago. She recently resent her “intro” to me and I love it. She talks of how our five senses link us to those wonderful memories from our past. I urge you to give this a read and I guarantee it will make you smile.
The words are strictly Roberta’s. I’m just sharing them.
Continue reading “Finding Happiness”
Last Christmas Eve, I was talking with our nephew Casey. He mentioned a visit to our home as a young boy, and then asked “Do you remember making cheese fondue at the cabin? That was so cool!” The memories of that weekend, and our ‘70s era burnt orange fondue pot came flooding back.
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Last July we received one of those phone calls that shifts your world. Our niece, Bre, let us know she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Thirty-eight years old, this started her on a new and unexpected journey that still continues.
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It was 7:00AM and I was on my way to feed the horses when I heard gunshots in the distance. Hunting? Maybe. It was barely light out and too early for target practice. Then, another — CRACK! —, closer this time. What the hell was going on?
Continue reading “Disquieting Beauty”
I still see the chunk of tractor-trailer tire flipping end-over-end in slow motion towards us. Growing bigger and bigger, it slammed into the front of our car and bounced off the hood, before disappearing in a flash. The actual elapsed time was perhaps one second from start to finish, but it was enough, and the damage was done.
Continue reading “Chunk of Tire”
Cath and I recently saw “A Christmas Carole” at Ford’s Theatre, our 12th year in a row. I always find it renewing and every year, a different character or part of the play touches me. Not just Scrooge, or Tiny Tim, or the Ghosts, but sometimes a minor character like Old Fezziwig stays with me and provides inspiration.
Continue reading “Old Fezziwig”
Army-Navy. Yep, it’s this week – the renewal of the rivalry that started in 1890. This year, Army is 11-1 and Navy is 8-3, but records rarely seem to matter. I know I never take the game for granted and always feel a churn in my stomach in the days and hours leading up to game time.
Continue reading “Singing Second”
Live Life Exuberantly 