My husband has spent his entire adult life caring for his father. Finch is the youngest of five siblings. His older brother and sisters have families and careers of their own, and he was the one who took it upon himself to look after dad in his senior years. His mom died from stroke complications Read More
Category: Backyard Philosophy
My Life Without Motherhood
When I was a little girl, I just assumed that one day I’d have children. After all, I was the oldest of four daughters, my dad is the eighth of nine children, and I grew up surrounded by car-loads of cousins who came to visit at any given time. The house was never quiet. We Read More
Five Years Ago…
July 7, 2012 – Neither of our families thought the events of this day would happen. Finch and I had met at work about eighteen months earlier. He had recently made the leap from adjunct faculty to tenure track. I had just become department chair. As I was moving into my new office, he was Read More
Happy 45th Anniversary!
Today my parents celebrate their forty-fifth wedding anniversary. Here’s a brief summary of their story. 1971 My dad was farming with my uncle. My mom was an elementary school teacher in St. Paul, Minnesota. She had just accepted a teaching position in Pompano Beach, Florida. During the summer between the two positions she stayed with Read More
The Plight of the Pale
When I was a child, I was often chastised by adults and other children for not wanting to play in the sun. Pale skin was my genetic destiny. My ancestors haled from northern Germany and northern England so I was pretty much screwed in the pigmentation department. I gave up on tanning years ago. It’s Read More