The Postscript

Forever Home 10.05.2023 4:02 ↓

The farmhouse is where I thought I’d grow old. I planted a lot of trees. I had a garden. I painted every wall, inside and out. I thought there was a strong likelihood I’d die in that house. Now I’ve put it up for sale.

Unexpected Cowboy 05.05.2023 4:20 ↓

I have no cowboy credentials. So, when Bob suggested I perform with a cowboy singer, I was more than skeptical—I thought it was a dumb idea.

A Night at the Funeral Home 03.05.2023 4:24 ↓

The funeral home had been converted into an Airbnb. It was on our way—and suspiciously cheap.

Smelling Like Dog 28.04.2023 4:50 ↓

A dog keeps us tethered in the here and now and reminds us that we are living in this moment—and that every moment in the future is imaginary.

In Defense of Pollyanna 26.04.2023 4:43 ↓

More than once in my life, I’ve been accused of having a “Pollyanna attitude.” I didn’t actually know what this meant, except that it was not a good thing.

Learning to Whistle 21.04.2023 4:24 ↓

I don’t think I have envied many people many times in my life, but I very much wanted to whistle when I was six.

Push-Ups With Bob 19.04.2023 4:28 ↓

I thought things were going pretty well until I remembered the push-ups—and Bob.

Not Popular 14.04.2023 4:15 ↓

I now realize that no one—not even the most popular person in high school—self-identifies as popular.

Dusty Surprises 12.04.2023 4:17 ↓

My heart hurt, reading this forty-year-old letter. I wondered if I wrote back. I hoped he was doing well.

Made to Last 07.04.2023 4:25 ↓

My grandma’s wedding dress was more than a little worse for wear. It had been folded up in a small box and kept safe by my cousin, Jill. (How Jill ended up with it, I do not know.)

The Wren House 05.04.2023 4:01 ↓

“Jonie, come downstairs!” Dad hollered. “I think there are bats in the birdhouse!” Mom came running and they carefully lifted the back off the birdhouse.

No Coffee 31.03.2023 4:08 ↓

My parents are great planners so there was no chance they were out of coffee, but where they might be keeping it—that was another issue.

Marital Privilege 29.03.2023 4:11 ↓

My first thought was, “I’ve never had my head vacuumed before.”

Singing Lessons 24.03.2023 4:03 ↓

My teacher says I have a perfectly serviceable voice—and I am 100% sure she says this to all her students—but I still find it reassuring.

Coconut Head 22.03.2023 4:29 ↓

Ayo said, “Don’t burn yourself out. Give yourself permission to stop. Don’t use your head to break a coconut.”

New Rhubarb 17.03.2023 4:56 ↓

The whole refrigerator had begun to resemble some archeological site with mysterious remnants of a past life that we could now only guess at.

Time and Sunshine 18.01.2023 5:20 ↓

Traveling in Norway with close relations -- sometimes a little too close.

Chin Hair 13.01.2023 5:13 ↓

On the joys of discovering unplanned personal growth.

Stretch Pants Lifestyle 11.01.2023 4:36 ↓

When stretch pants become a way of life.

Being Blue 06.01.2023 5:01 ↓

Sharing my day and my anxiety with an Italian Mastiff.

My Signature Look 04.01.2023 4:16 ↓

How I found my signature look by allowing my spouse to cut my hair and other dubious fashion choices. 

Throw Out the Empties 30.12.2022 5:06 ↓

Some unheeded words of advice for the New Year -- or any other day of the year. 

Sparkles 28.12.2022 4:28 ↓

On the essential importance of wearing sparkles today.

In Defense of Pollyanna 21.12.2022 4:43 ↓

The day I realized my Pollyanna status was strictly amateur.

Tragic Animal Tales 14.12.2022 5:43 ↓

True life stories of ordinary animals and their imagined sorrows.