Moving an entire mountain is, as far as we can tell, an impossibility. At the least, it is an improbability so extreme as to be essentially impossible. That is to say, it is impossible on a human scale (We could ask the cats about enlisting the mothership!). Plate tectonics and erosion are very good at […]
There is no question that life is complicated and challenging. There is no question that life is a roller coaster, and a very big, very curvy one with lots of loops and dives and climbs. There is no question that sometimes it feels as though one’s very heart has been left at the top of […]
The darkest days of the year, the ones that have creatures around the world scrambling, stretching, straining for light, come in with early winter, snuggled up against the faded edge of autumn. Fallen leaves lose their crispness. Dusks release their soft glows to greys, exhaling chills and shivers. The same days welcomingly invite all that […]
Humans have a thing for keeping vigils: watching over loved ones as we nurse them back to health; sitting together outside with candles to mark serious occasions; staying alert for trespassers or expected guests, the latter being much preferred. There may seem to be little of valor in this watchful waiting. But, it takes a […]
In the chill of winter, it is especially lovely to adorn one’s mantle – or table or hair – with fresh flowers (HUZZAH for hydroponic green houses!). But, with cats around the house, it can be tricky business to beautify with bouquets. Cats are the key reason that fresh flowers are rarely found at Tabby’s […]
On a cold, bitter day when a chill rain alternates with biting sleet and frigid snow, and when ice seems to seep through one’s very veins, you know you’re in Central New Jersey in early winter. Mere thoughts of going outside are unwelcome. Actually, going outside is avoided. Warm, safe, and cozy are the aims […]
Everyone who has ever lived has had a bad hair day. Everyone who lived through the 1980s had a bad hair decade. For the record, I was very proud of my fairly long mullet, which was most punky when paired with short spikes on top. (No, you may not see a picture. No one can […]
As an office manager for an orthodontist, I spend a lot of time scheduling appointments. There are things I’d love to say, but generally don’t. For one thing, we schedule in 15-minute blocks, so someone arriving 10 minutes late can throw off our entire schedule. If someone arrives too early, they probably arrived during someone […]
Sometimes we leave a place and are happy to have it behind us. Sometimes, though, that means leaving people behind, people we might prefer to keep. Circumstances may make it difficult to stay in touch, as might location and technical aptitude…or other things. Life in general is often the biggest thing that keeps us from […]
As we grow up, our coursework and our cultures can encourage rigidity about many concepts of grammar and, more poignantly, about who people are “supposed to be” and how much we expect everyone and everything to be “normal.”