I have on occasion contributed a series to this blog called “Raised in a Barn.” It is a loose series of anecdotes about my, um, colorful childhood, spent between Greenwich Village (in the 1960s) and the converted barn in rural … Continue reading
Category Archives: family
As part of the process of downsizing prior to moving house, I had to go through a packet of parental artifacts passed from sister to sister to me. It was my sad job to off-load 1940’s dance cards, 1950’s business … Continue reading
Let’s say you have a child, and if you’re lucky enough that she arrives with all the correct bits and pieces–spleen and fingernails and skeletal system–you feel a little like you’ve won a lottery. Maybe it turns out that the … Continue reading
That’s Blanche DuBois, above (Vivien Leigh) talking about the way she gets through life. In her case, there’s a sort of learned-helpless dependency thing going on. But really, in a civil society, in a kind society, we all depend upon … Continue reading
Continuing my saga of the repair of the Puerto Rico house… This was in some ways the most difficult trip of our annual series, partly because problems we thought we’d fixed last time came back to bite us again. Just … Continue reading
My wife and I have been in Ponce, Puerto Rico for two weeks, working on her mom’s house, which is now used mostly for vacation rental. Everything is a blur, including some of the stray cats who dash by, nearly … Continue reading
For the fourth year in a row, my wife and I started our new year in Ponce, Puerto Rico, where we’re continuing the rounds of upkeep, repair (yes, including Hurricane Maria repair, a year and a half later), and steady … Continue reading
I sometimes wonder if I’ve done a dreadful, dreadful thing in raising my children to love many of the movies that my husband and I love. My younger daughter famously went to school one day in 3rd grade, talking enthusiastically … Continue reading
I’m not sure about how I feel about the holidays this year. Thanksgiving has never been that big for me, but it is a lovely time to spend with family and have dysfunctional moments with my teenagers. And I’ll have … Continue reading
This month, I want you to introduce you to something that is not actually in my writing box at all. It has nevertheless fuelled a lot of writing in class. It is also a little topical. I chose this item … Continue reading