May 2011
1 post
February 2010
1 post
test
test
September 2009
5 posts
A Tale of Two Hotel Rooms →
Not my hotel
About 9 years ago I realized I’d never spent the night in a motel / hotel room by myself and it bothered me. I’d eaten at a restaurant by myself. I’d seen a movie in a…
RSS Links Widget →
After the Deadline Live for WP.com →
RSS in the Clouds →
August Wrap-Up →
August 2009
14 posts
Clare goes to College →
Those of you who read my blog or are my friends on Facebook or read my tweets or talk to me in person know that this has been a rough summer / year for me regarding my relationship with my daughter….
Life is not like in the commercials →
I don’t watch that much television — and rarely watch commercial television these days — but when I do watch broadcast TV, I don’t ignore the commercials. My husband switches channels when a…
Support Hours and Updates →
Whaddaya Know? →
David Thewlis in Life is Sweet
Bob from London
When I first noticed actor David Thewlis in Mike Leigh’s Life is Sweet (see it if you can find it), I knew there was…
New Theme: Sandbox 1.6.1 →
For Carolyn — a confession that comes too late →
In 1990 I began working for Fairfax County Public Schools at Rose Hill Elementary School as a special education teacher. I taught students in grades 4 – 6 and worked with many of the “regular”…
In which I agree with someone from the Guardian →
Note to Tina — if you still read this blog, skip this post. Vampires are mentioned.
My kids and I had an interesting conversation in the car last week on our way to somewhere (we were…
WP.me — shorten your links →
SoundCloud →
New Theme: iNove →
July Wrap-Up →
Lulu Pepper Juliana Bern →
I understand that Dan Bern and his love, Danielle, had a baby girl last month. Welcome to the world little Lulu Pepper Juliana Bern. Don’t know where the Lulu Pepper part of the name came from,…
One of these things is not like the others →
If you think this post is weird, blame it on the fact I composed it in my head at 3:00 am when I couldn’t sleep.
One of these authors is not like the others,
One of these authors just doesn’t…
The Battle of the Hand Soap →
As mentioned before, my husband likes tidiness. He becomes ornery if things are not in their places. He dislikes clutter and is not a fan of things that have one use (like a juice maker —…
July 2009
10 posts
Archives Shortcode →
False Alarm →
Ok, I could have sworn I wrote about the lunar landing and walk, but it seems like I didn’t find it worthy of documenting.
Diary page from July 20, 1969
I suppose what I…
Gravatar Widget →
Man walks on the Moon! Dona documents it! →
I remember 40 years ago today. Not necessarily because I cared that the USA had put men on the moon, but because I documented it in my diary. I’d been given a leather diary with a lock and key for…
PollDaddy ratings and polls →
Happy 100th Birthday Frances Lide →
Cue music from The Writer’s Almanac and imagine Garrison Keiller reading this:
Today is the 100th birthday of journalist Frances Marie Lide, born in South Carolina (1909). Frances and her younger…
Happy 100th Frances Lide →
In 1985 when my husband landed a job in Alexandria, Virginia and we rented a house on Tennessee Avenue I met a woman who would influence my life in so many ways. Nearly as soon as we moved in to the…
Vote for Media Features →
June Wrap-Up →
National Blog Posting Month →
June 2009
6 posts
Carolina →
Carolina
Several years ago the parents of a friend of my son told us we were in for a treat. Their very best friends in the world were moving up the street from us. It turned out that…
Newfangled Mix Tape →
Back in the day people used to make other people music compilations — mostly based on music they, for whatever reason, wanted the other person to hear. These were put on cassette tapes,…
SocialVibe →
May Wrap-Up →
my poet laureate →
Midway through the very long graduation ceremony for the graduating class of Walt Whitman 2009 the principal announced an award that was an unknown award for the recipient (and apparently everyone…
Congratulations Clare! →
Clare in her cap and gown
May 2009
7 posts
Processed foods. And me. →
For years and years I avoided processed foods. I made cakes and brownies from scratch. I rarely bought pre-made spaghetti sauce. I cooked only fresh (or sometimes frozen) vegetables. The only…
My Prom, Her Prom →
My daughter is going to prom tonight. She’s wearing a lovely dress, classy shoes and an antique Spanish lace shawl. But she’s not happy. She left the house (to go to a friend’s house to dress)…
Senior Project Meme →
msazzola wonders why people blog. She’s conducting informal research on the topic and asks folks to respond by posting their answers to the following questions and then posting a link to their…
Spec nest? →
Robin with flower
In the rose of Sharon bush
Last week I looked out the back window and saw a robin hopping around the back yard carrying what looked like a bunch of…
What is hate? →
Hate.
When I was a child and used the word hate (I hate spinach or liver or Devon or home ec), my mother would almost always counter my statement with, “Hate is a strong word” which meant,…
No thanks →
Costco is selling a Backyard Bug Cake Pan:
“Imagine a table full of edible and adorable bugs! Enjoy these delightful cakes sprinkled with powdered sugar, or have the kids (and adults!)…
I have heard the mermaids singing →
My daughter has discovered The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. I knew she would at some time or another — I’d assumed they still taught it in schools, then I saw it in a poetry packet that she…
April 2009
6 posts
Up North: the series ::House Raisings:: Hazelhurst →
The lake we bathed and swam in from Pasholk’s property
When I was in high school several of my parents friends began building houses in the small Wisconsin town of Hazelhurst, just…
My missing sense of community →
Growing up in a town where my parents, and some of their parents before them, had grown up, meant they had a huge group of friends and relatives in the area. These friends and relatives were the…
Happy Easter from the Follmann & Patrick Family →
We have a few traditions on the holidays — Christmas we go to Illinois and spend Christmas Eve with Dean’s family and Christmas Day with mine. Thanksgiving we often see a movie while the Turkey…
Hmm →
Dona in 2009
Jesse in the early 1900’s or late 1800’s
Dona in 1976
More About Jesse →
My great grandmother, Jesse (Tyler) Green
After writing the post about my great grandmother, Jesse Tyler, I talked to my mother on the phone. She had more information, that I…
Connections from beyond the grave →
I love happy endings. I love connections. This is about both.
When I was a child I found a book that belonged to my grandfather’s mother, Jesse Tyler. I knew it was hers because she’d written her…