Family

  • The Withered Leaf: An Ancestry Story

    I met my mother’s father once. I was very small, he was very quiet and together we sat on a piano bench as he played a tune. I was told he was rather brilliant and could play multiple instruments. When we parted, I went back to my home where my parents watched over me and…

  • My Beautiful Kitten

    “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ― Anatole France I’ve never been good at eulogizing.  The words I write and say fail. How can you possibly sum up a life in a sentence? How can you convey the depth of love you have – the multiple layers of…

  • He Kindly Stopped for Me

    I am descended from a long line of martyrs.  Now, you might be thinking the lion snack, pyre kindle, rock dodger sort, but you’d be mistaken.  See, I’ve long suspected my family actually survived through the centuries by being fabulous finger pointers.  “Oh, you’re looking for a witch?  Have you spoken with Goody Johnson?  No…

  • Mom Kisses

    I had this terrific idea for a Mother’s Day blog post.  In it, I was going to tell you a story about my Mom and how I followed her around everywhere she went.  You see, I started stalking her as soon as I could walk and didn’t stop until she passed away in 2006.  At…

  • Thank You, My Old NY

    I wanted to make a quick post to sing the praises of a fellow blogger – a great gal who writes My Old NY Just Ain’t What She Used to Be and who also happens to be a genealogy nut.  Give her an old postcard or photo and she’s on its tail tracking it down through history…

  • To My Bestfriend on Our Anniversary

    It’s our anniversary and since I control this blog, I think it’s only right that I dedicate a song on this day to Jay, my best friend, husband and favorite person – the guy that loves me despite my insanity – the guy that laughs at my bad jokes and endures my corny dedications.  (The guy who is doubtlessly…

  • Jay

    There are a million reasons that I absolutely adore my husband.  Among them: He’s my best friend, he puts up with my craziness (this is a pretty huge feat), he laughs at my bad jokes (and encourages them, at least that’s what I tell myself) and he patiently sits and listens to my weekly improv stories (struggles),…

  • Retraction: Every Quake You Fake

    My husband would like it noted (and by “like it noted” I mean he may have said in passing “that’s not me, that’s you”) that he does not in fact make fun of The Police’s “Every Breathe You Take” and if he did, it would only occur when his wife was doing it, too.  (Well, how…

  • RIP: A Southern Tale

    My friends have long been full of suggestions for story topics whenever I’ve drawn a complete blank – favorite stories about family or work or some misadventure that might have landed me topless in a popular public pool walking around enjoying the warm sun on my skin and the blessing of water in my ears…

  • Sass: Part 2

    Me: “That’s right, I mocked you on my blog!!!” Jay in high-pitched, what I assume to be his Beth voice: “OH NOOOOOOOO! I didn’t write A Farewell to Arms on my first try!!” And then he cackled.  CACKLED!!! I am abused!