On The Water

I hear thunder coming. I knew it would. An hour ago, I sat at the water’s edge, looking past the mouth of the Rappahannock into the Chesapeake Bay beyond. A wonderful strong, humid breeze was sweeping the wisps of my gossamer hair across my sticky face, and I repeatedly swept them from my eyes. I…

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Vivre La Difference… Maybe

You know the old saying, “Some of my best friends are ….” It sounds trite, but since I was a little pre-school tike, some of my best friends were boys or men. So, despite how this rant of sorts sounds, I am not a man-hater. I am a 72-year-old widow who can look in the…

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Old People on Facebook

My children were flabbergasted when they found their mother was on Facebook. I don’t remember when I first logged on, but I’ve been on it for quite a number of years. You see, before FB there was something called “myspace.com” which began in 2003. Teenagers and college kids were jumping on that and posting absolutely…

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Life Without Bacon – Why Bother?

He didn’t originate it, but Cloyde (my late husband) used to say, “Life without bacon… why bother?” This was always in response to whatever my latest healthy eating plan was, all of which declared bacon to be a “no-no.” In a world full of health gurus telling us everything we cannot or should not eat,…

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Man of LaMancha Revisited

It’s not real. It’s not an actual piece of history. Don Quixote de la Mancha did not actually exist. Or did he? There are some stories that always make my face leak; Ole Yeller and Man of LaMancha are the top two, both of them fiction, but each is written about real human responses to…

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Dangerously Misplaced Passion

Humans are hardwired to be passionate. We are also culturally encouraged to demonstrate our passions, mocking people who show none as being mechanical or having no soul. Another word often paired with “passion” is “love.” We swoon over “passionate love affairs.” In fact, a partner who fails to act passionately is often accused of being…

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Circus Memories

Did you ever read the cover headlines of The National Enquirer while waiting in line at the grocery checkout? I have NEVER forgotten the best one ever which I saw maybe 30 years ago. “Gassy Elephant Blows Trainer Through Tent Wall.” Who needed to read the story? The headline said it all. I could not…

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Love Happens in the Rain

Once upon a time, I woke up before dawn to the sound of rain against my barely cracked windows. For a moment I lay there with a nostalgic wee smile on my pillow-creased face, until I realized what that day was and bolted from bed in horror! That was the morning of the Lynchburg Art…

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What About Hamas?

Every now and then there seems to be something a little more important to discuss than the importance of purple or an aging grandmother’s surprising revelations. At some point, we simply must be aware and react appropriately to what is going on around us. Otherwise, why even consider a world without purple, or smiles, or…

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Labels

People often manage to control other people with words. There are even people who describe themselves as “Social Influencers.” What a LAUGHABLE title! And yet… it happens, more so to the young than to those of us who grew up reciting “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” That…

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