Eulogy for Joan Capps

Joan Gwendoline Capps was born on March 9, 1932 in Enfield, England and passed away peacefully at home on December 24, 2020. She grew up in London with two brothers and a sister. World War II broke out when she was seven. At the age of ten she took part in a confirmation service at...

Hallelujah! I Have A Cold!

I've never been thankful for a cold before. I spent the last couple of days fighting a virus, trying not to let myself dwell on the fact that it could be THE virus, but when I finally talked to my doctor on the phone, she pointed out that based on my symptoms, I had a...

Kindness Doesn’t Always Cost Much

A policeman waved at me today. I mean, that might not be breaking news. But I've been sick in bed for over a week, and it was my first foray out of the house since starting to feel more like a human and less like a quivering pile of sandpaper and nails, and it really...

I Don’t Know The Answer To Your Question But I’d Be Happy To Make Something Up

The 23 year old took me on a "city sample" last night as her Christmas gift for me.  It was somewhat like bar hopping or a pub crawl, but without the inebriation. We started at one end of the Redondo Beach Riviera and worked our way through five establishments, eating appetizers, sampling soups and browsing...

The Day I Went Looking For Trouble

My 23 year old daughter walked to our local Target this afternoon.  It's something we all do - it's only about four blocks away so it's a good way to get exercise when you are only buying a few things. She, however, is young, blond and pretty. Just about every time she goes to the...

Dying, As You Do

My friend is dying. We found out at the end of last year that Georgia has a brain tumor.  In January some friends and I flew out to spend a weekend with her and go out for one last over-the-top meal before the chemo-necessitated diet kicked in.  We accompanied her to doctor appointments, invading the...

To Write–Perchance To Dream

I spoke at a homeschooling convention yesterday.  Part of me was wowed by the fact that I had been asked to speak at the convention that, in years past, had been the iconic Homeschooling Event Of The Year in these parts.  The other part of me mitigated that with the fact that, facing competition with...

Othello And His Frenemies Are In The House

After a few minutes she grimaced and said, "What the--?" She handed me a test paper on the Shakespearean play, Othello, and asked, "What does that say?"

The question on the test asked for a description of the character Brabanzio's reaction to a certain event. In answer, the student had scrawled the words "In the hose."

Diagnosis Diabetes: After a Year

It's actually been a year and almost three months since the 12 year old was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.  A year and three months of shots, insulin, blood testing and Those Infernal Glucose Test Strips scattered all over the floor. He swears he puts them in the trash can.  But there they are, on...

No Excuses

I must be the meanest Mom around. First of all, we didn't watch the Rose Parade.  Well, we couldn't, because we don't have a TV.  Halfway through last year, realizing that the only time we watched the thing was, well, on New Year's Day for the Rose Parade, we moved it out to the garage...