“back in my day…” Category
Sleep Out in the Rain
Posted on April 15, 2015 29 Comments
Money, sex and conflicting styles of parenting are sited as the most common sources of marital strife. Not so for Todd and me. We’re bickering about Percy Sledge. Have been for years. “When a Man Loves a Woman” was the catalyst to one of our earliest arguments. This was back in college. Todd had a […]
Christmas with the Hinkleys
Posted on December 7, 2014 25 Comments
My introduction to the Hinkley family’s matriarch was this; my mother had seen her pee. We were all at The Food Lion, Mrs. Hinkley, my mother and I. (This was in the early 1980s, a decade or more before I’d ultimately visit the Hinkley home.) Mom slyly pointed her out to me and, in hushed […]
Elephant Cloud
Posted on September 18, 2014 25 Comments
(photo credit: Flicker) “Look at that cloud,” Todd said. “It looks exactly like an elephant.” And I saw it immediately. Typically, when someone points out an image he has spotted in the clouds, I have to tilt my head. I have to squint. I have to clarify which cloud I’m meant to be inspecting, this […]
Waiting for the Buzz
Posted on September 14, 2014 9 Comments
I heard it. It wasn’t much of a sound, an all-but-imperceptible buzz, the faint rattle of my silenced cell phone as it’s vibration resonated through the top of the filing cabinet, but I heard it. I heard it, and I could not ignore it. “Mrs. H___’s social studies classes have homework. Complete the handout on […]
Pointless Queries Prior to Siri
Posted on March 1, 2014 17 Comments
I hold within my maternal soul a strong conviction that these children I’ve brought into the world should feel safe in asking me anything, but must they feel compelled to ask me everything? Honest to goodness, the pointless things these kids ask. While I am reasonably comfortable with most any sensitive topic they broach, the […]
South Georgia Snow Day
Posted on February 12, 2014 13 Comments
It is snowing outside, and we’re all hunkered down in the house. Snow is not something we see a whole lot of here in north Georgia. I grew up in Columbus, Georgia, which is south of my present home and just below the fall line. Waking up to find snow in your yard, in Columbus, […]
Waiting for the Twilight Zone
Posted on January 1, 2014 11 Comments
I hate collards. It is New Year’s Day, so I’ll eat them, but know this: I’m just in it for the cash. I was told at an early age (and on an annual basis) that collard greens symbolize money. According to southern tradition, beginning the year with a steaming plate of greens is a person’s […]
The Perilous Halloween Carnivals of My Childhood
Posted on October 19, 2013 9 Comments
(photo credit: zettasaprons.blogspot.com) Tomorrow morning I plan to take my kids to their school’s campus bright and early for the Fall Festival. There will be lots of pre-wrapped treats (with allergens clearly marked) for the children to enjoy after a thorough hand-coating of sanitizing gel. They will find many wholesome games to play – a […]
Premium Lovers
Posted on October 12, 2013 12 Comments
It’s Saturday. Praise cheeses! I am desperate to blow off a little steam. My friend Simone and her husband are hosting a “stupid t shirt” party later tonight, and it think it will be a lot of fun. It is a pretty great idea, if you think about it. Everyone will have a conversation starter […]
Scary Resemblance
Posted on October 9, 2013 13 Comments
Television programs and movies were so cliche in the 1980s that directors could have used cootie catchers to cast them. There was nothing to it. Adopted children on sitcoms were black, super-small, full of personality (and, in real life, had complicated medical histories) like this young man… and this adorable little boy… while villains in […]
Ginger's Grocery 