Bullies and Broken Hearts

I never, ever wanted to write a post about this. Bullies. Bullies with a mob mentality. Bullies and my grandsons. Bullies and broken hearts. I know a thing or two about bullies. I taught high school English and Reading for 30 years, and I had a lot of experience with adolescents coming into their own. [...]

The Initials in the Tree

There’s a beautiful little playground near my home. It has all new swings and slides and climbing apparatuses and a new-age design see-saw. It has a little, tiny covered Club House area where kids can play or picnic or pretend it’s an ice-cream shop or any other thing that kids imagine. This playground has a [...]

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY, DYLAN!!

Our 9th and youngest grandchild, Dylan Joseph, turns 2 today! It is a beautiful day for a birthday, all summer and sun and blue skies and happiness… which is so appropriate because Dylan brings summer and sun and blue skies and happiness to our family and to this world every single day! Dylan is a [...]

‘Cause I had a bad (hair) day…

I’ve never had a BAD day in my entire life. Oh, I’ve had SAD days and ANXIOUS days and STRESSFUL days… sometimes moments or minutes or hours so overwhelming that they almost consume you. But BAD?  Like when someone says, “I had such a BAD day.” No.  Never. So why am I writing about this?  [...]

IronGram

Last evening was my first open water swim in preparation for my Half Ironman, which is less than 4 weeks away. For the past 16 weeks, I’ve been swimming laps in a 25-yard pool with cool blue water and visible lane lines and a lifeguard. And you know… in a bathing suit, cap and goggles. [...]

Water Hose Magic

It’s funny how something as simple as an outdoor water hose can make a morning magical. Just add water… and a grandfather.

YOU CHOOSE

I have a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage. This means that a blood vessel in my eye burst, and my eye looks rather like a horror movie set. I’m serious. I am on my 12th day of this scene… through Easter Sunday, opening day at Fenway Park and our little vacation to Florida. Florida was the easiest part [...]

MUNCHing Frosted Flakes, 60′s style

I’m not a pack-rat. I’m certainly not a hoarder. But I do (some may even say “unnecessarily”) save things. Take this little number, for example. It’s a Martian Cereal Spoon Sitter. He’s blue. He’s dressed in a molded blue uniform, space helmet and all. His little antennae went missing some time over the 5 or [...]