Category Archives: Uncategorized

I am trying to become a good citizen of Chicago, in part because my husband and I are new-ish residents; in part because I am old enough to give back without payback; and in part because Chicago can use good … Continue reading →

Stuffed animals allow children to safely play out many social interactions which otherwise might not seem, or be, safe. This is my rationale for having stuffed animals, having many of them, and having them longer than really was necessary. My … Continue reading →

One of the nice things about being raised in Elmhurst, IL by parents who knew the Depression and knew War and knew penny-watching from the womb, was our toy status. My two brothers and I didn’t have many of them…bikes … Continue reading →

Guilt is one of those generic emotions that fill in whenever I’m too lazy to come up with a better one. What’s pleasant about guilt is that is pretty much negates everything and everyone else, which is something I sometimes … Continue reading →

During five years as executive editor at an educational research lab, the statement of one person made me so mad, I can retrieve that emotion any time I consider what she said. She said, “Bring me a thinker. I can … Continue reading →

Walking past Illinois Masonic hospital today, I crossed paths with a woman wearing a contraption on her right leg that looked as if the leg was a lipstick stuck in a shiny case. Slight of build was she with a … Continue reading →

Scanning the cranial horizon is fun when flying. It beats getting to know your seat-mate, which might be fun, too; except you can never be sure. I like to look at the little domes of heads atop the bodies of … Continue reading →

There are many reasons why folks don’t write. Lack of talent isn’t one of them. Writing FOR an audience is. Write TO the audience instead. It’s fine to think about writing FOR children or FOR Hollywood or FOR the record … Continue reading →

I attended college during the years when protesting America’s involvement in the war in VietNam primarily comprised curriculum. As I recall, most of us didn’t understand the war. Who was fighting who for what reason was beside the point. We … Continue reading →

A flowering plant on our balcony must be a Hawaiian expat, from the looks of it. From the looks of it, it’s longing for home. Its shamrocky lettuce leaves are perky but its bloom instinct is asleep. Daily, what I … Continue reading →