Author Archives: Mrs. Fitz

The nice thing regarding youth is you can build on it, expand from the start of it. During the 1960s in Elmhurst, Il, this was nicely controlled expansion. It may be no coincidence that nicely controlled expansion described our neighborhood, … Continue reading →

People read books uniquely. I mean the sequence in which we read varies, not the format, which can be Oral-Ebook-Audio-Print. Now that I’ve noticed, I’m pesty about asking others HOW they read. Here are preliminary findings. Some 1st read congratulatory … Continue reading →

I didn’t think heaven had a photo studio but I believed holy cards accurately pictured what saints looked like when I attended Immaculate Conception grammar school in Elmhurst, Il during the 1950s. I wanted to have a lot of holy … Continue reading →

When it’s cold in Chicago, like, it’s chilly. But, again. It is what it is. I’m warming up by omitting words and phrases that turn talk tepid. Three in particular: 1. IT IS WHAT IT IS  as in “I was … Continue reading →

When journalist, feminist, and social activist Gloria Steinem was 45 (33 years ago), she wrote about her surprise discovery that women grow more radical with age. She reported this discovery after more than two decades speaking to campus groups, consciousness-raising … Continue reading →

I first learned that smiling is not a universal language in a Russian Import shop in Sacramento, California. It was on the corner of an historic Main street that had its groove on for tourists, which my husband and I … Continue reading →

 There is a piece of time so brief to be overlooked but it’s important. It is that piece that separates what was before from forever on. It comes as someone asks, “Did you hear about Sandy Hook elementary school?” or … Continue reading →

Our Elmhurst living room was a homage to Mom’s baby grand piano. Scattered sit-upons dotted the remaining space like garden pavers. This may account in part for the fact Dad was an upsitter. He sat up on a couch, a … Continue reading →

My older and younger brother played “think fast” when we were growing up in the 1960s in Elmhurst, Il. They’d call my name, I’d turn around and they’d call, “Think fast!” as they threw a ball my way. I caught … Continue reading →