Posts Tagged ‘random’

“Quiet” and “Shy” Are Not the Same Word

At one time, like a lot of reserved people, I considered myself shy. The misconception is understandable, given that once a room fills with more than four unrelated people, I clam up like an oyster trapped inside a mussel shell, thanks to some pig-tailed second grader in my deep past who blurted out, “Oh look, [...]

The Single Most Significant Thing I Do

The other day was one of those in which nothing ever quite worked out the way it was supposed to, schedules were disrupted, the computer acted up, and everybody was hungry but no one had any inspiration, or time, to make dinner — you’ve seen this before, haven’t you? I was waiting around for a [...]

My Unwanted Follower

Sometimes, when we’re young and nubile and wearing tight pants, guys follow a little close. And while my pants may fit a little tighter than what I like now and then, I’m no longer young and nubile, so I knew the guy who was way too close to my butt wasn’t there because, well, because. [...]

Get Me to the Church on Time — Or, Not

There is this pervasive, and perverse, belief in Christian communities that one of the hallmarks of a true believer is the tendency to get up early– really early, say 5 a.m. or 4:30. Otherwise, you’re a sluggard, the Proverbs one. This verse (Proverbs 6:9 if you promise not to slap someone with it) is enough [...]

The Big Significance of Small Business

Normally, I avoid buying cookies, or anything, from strange children on my doorstep. It’s not so much that I discourage budding entrepreneurs as that I prefer to not support the mega-companies providing the product and pocketing most of the profits. Ratty little lemonade stands, however, are another matter. There’s something about children, waving crumpled and [...]

On a Quest with Google Maps

When you travel, it’s important to remember the necessary stuff — i.d., extra cash, charge or debit card, spare underwear. And, on a recent overnight foray, I did, but despite checking and rechecking, I still managed to forget something crucial: My knitting needles. Laugh, if you will, but you try knitting socks with your fingers. It [...]

Why I Knit

My mother taught me to knit when I was 15. In her day, she said, a woman knit in between romantic relationships. An especially heart wrenching breakup, followed by months of no dates at all,  could result in a complete ensemble of skirt, jacket, and short-sleeved shell. Matching bootlets. A cape if the guy married [...]

The Politics of Pinching Peaches

Generally, the produce department of a grocery store is a quiet place. Pinching peaches, while it is a dreadful practice, doesn’t result in sounds from the peaches. I imagine, however, that the people who work in the produce department scream inside when they walk by and see this being done. So it was with mild [...]

E-book — The Jane Austen Driving School

The newly published Jane Austen Driving School is the second volume in the Ordinary Life Is Beautiful E-book Series, adding to the stories and illustrations of Life Is a Gift. Thirty short, easy-to-read, fun and funny stories bring readers into the household of the Norwegian Artist, the Polish Writer, their progeny, and their eclectic and [...]

Please Stop Educating Me — I Want to Learn Something

I am one of the 1 percent. Nah, I’m not talking money; when it comes to that I’m in another 1 percent, you know, the ones who re-use plastic grocery bags as spontaneous suitcases for overnight trips. No, I am one of the extreme minority of people who read the placards and displays and educational [...]

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