Just because you usually do the dishes doesn’t mean it’s your job
I hear the sound of Freya panting and her toenails click-clicking toward my side of the bed. The clock reads 3:30 am. It’s pitch dark and drizzling outside. Freya’s gut is in distress again, but her meds haven’t kicked in yet. She doesn’t want to mess in the house....
No more chasing critters for Heathcliff
I heard a bark outside the basement door—Heathcliff returning from his evening stroll. As our dog hobbled across the man cave floor, my husband Keith said, “Oh, Heathcliff, what have you done to yourself?” The hero of my recent Brevity blog post was a three-legged...
Despite my best intentions, and other lies I tell myself
Between rain showers, I’m in the meadow, pulling weeds. Usually my quota is one large scrub-bucket then quit for the day. Now I carry wet, muddy armloads and dump piled-high buckets full into the surrounding woods. Our meadow has become home to some of the tallest...
Summer Ends, Fall Begins
What’s on today’s menu? Barbecued ham, whipped potatoes, and veggies—a picnic on the dining deck later this afternoon. I remember neighborhood picnics on the 4th of July and Labor Day, the official opening and closing of summer in Connecticut. Very few braved a...
A Guest Post on Brevity
Bonus today! Here's a guest blog post published on Brevity and starring our dog Heathcliff: https://brevity.wordpress.com/2018/08/29/finding-your-essay/ Enjoy!...
Your Dark and Stormy Night
You say goodbye to a former neighbor, having enjoyed dinner together, and dash to your truck. Rainfall has shifted from drizzle to downpour. You switch from 2- to 4-wheel-drive. Dusk descends into the darkest of nights. You are driving to another friend’s house...