Superbowl: My Guys Are Talking Sports — And All Is Right With the World
I like listening to my husband and son talk about football and basketball. I like the comfortable, father-son tone: My guys are talking sports and all is right with the world. Read more.
My Old Stuff — A Little Moldy, a Little Dusty, but Unlike Certain People It’s Still With Me
Things. They stay where you put them. They don’t talk back or upchuck on the Persian rug. They don’t require thank-you notes or post cards from Tahoe. I like my things. Read more.
The Perfect Christmas Tree — I Finally Found It
At the Christmas tree lot, the kids played hide ’n’ seek amid the trees, leaving me to find the perfect Christmas tree. The responsibility weighed heavy. Read more.
Little Girls Are Superior to Little Boys — Here’s Why
Little girls are superior to little boys. This fact is not written down in black and white anywhere. The popular baby books talk warily around the topic of sex differences. And researchers will make only minor, technical concessions to the superiority of girls. Read more.
The Weekend I Talked — And the Kids Listened
You know your kids have turned into grown-ups when they listen to your advice. I don’t mean take your advice. I mean listen – gently and kindly – as you talk away . . . Read more.
For Wetter, For Drier — I’m Married to California
Basically, there are two kinds of Californian. Those who are delighted by a sunny February day. And those who are dismayed. Jon is one of the latter. You can chart the weather by Jon’s moods. Read more.
Little Girl Lost — My Mother’s Magical Babushka
When I was three or four years old, my mother took me shopping at a big department store in downtown Detroit. It might have been Crowley’s or Kern’s or Hudson’s. Shoppers crowded the aisles and soon, my mother and I got separated and I found myself alone. Read more.
We’re Having a — Merry — Christmas Without the Kids This Year
Christmas has gotten to be a scheduling nightmare in our family. Peter lives in Minnesota. Christina lives in Southern California. Jon and I live in Northern California. That puts 400 miles between us and our daughter and 1600 miles between us and our son and daughter-in-law. Not exactly over the river and through the woods. Read more.
How to Grandmother – When the Grandkids Live 2,500 Miles Away
My friend Nancy is a potter – a world-class ceramist to be exact – and a grandmother. Much as she loves her work, Nancy wants to spend time with her grandsons – and not just a Thanksgiving dinner here and a birthday party there. The trouble is, the young boys live a continent away. Read more.
A Dune on Lake Michigan: We Couldn’t Climb Eagle Top — So We Paid Homage From Afar
I emailed my cousin Jeanie. Did she want to visit some of our childhood haunts, like Eagle Top? Read more.