Mosquitoes, Moms, and Mourning

Mosquitoes Are But an Annoyance for My Grandlittles, Praise God!Cadence, Elaine, Sawyer, Rich. Oahu’s North Shore, May, 2012. Mosquitoes Are a NuisanceYes, my daughter reacts strongly to mosquito bites, growing great big welts in no time. And yes, I’ve scratched myself to scars. And, well, yes, my grandson has used the persistent buzz of the […]


The Deal of a Life!

“Sammy.” Best Return on Investment Ever What can you buy for $38? Dinner out, maybe, if you choose your restaurant with care and skip the appetizer. Last year, you could have bought one share of stock in Facebook for $38, though it’s not worth that much today. A movie date might be doable if you go […]


Horror and Outrage

Cadence, Sawyer, Elaine: Group Hug Beyond Imagination We mourn together for lives cut short in an ugly blast of gunfire. One moment, twenty beautiful young students and the adults entrusted with their education were studying the chalkboard, perhaps, or bent over worksheets.  And then suddenly, we were all robbed of their lives. A nation grieves […]


Sticky Christmas to You!

Christmas: A Blur of Boxes and Bows Lasting Gifts If I had to sum up my childhood Christmas memories in one word, the word would be slippery. Anticipation built like a stubborn fever, depriving me of sleep as I stared out the window from my bed, straining my ear for the sound of sleighbells flying through […]


Giving Tastes Like Turkey

Love Offering. Thanksgiving, 2012. A Secret I Kept From Myself Rich and I host Thanksgiving every year. We’ve hosted it every year of our married life, beginning in 2007, just two months after our wedding. I love it. The usual suspects are my brother and his family, my sister and her family, and my dad […]