One thing I love about Facebook is the “memories” feed. I enjoy looking back at past years—it’s like a journal in some ways. One thought that often crosses my mind is, “Gee, I wish I were as fat as I thought I was then.”
I have always loved the holiday season. My mother went full tilt from Thanksgiving through Christmas, going out of her way to make every moment special and memorable. Since she passed away, I go overboard decorating, crafting, gifting, and cooking — because it makes it feel like she’s still here with me.
We have a Sunday tradition at my house: we pile into our king-sized bed with our pets and watch football. A king-sized bed may sound nice and roomy — but it can get pretty crowded when we share it with three dogs and a cat.
It is easy to wax nostalgic this time of year. I walk through the Halloween aisles in stores, amazed by how intricate some of the costumes are. They are so realistic, I can hear my inner child screaming with envy, especially if I am looking at a princess costume. Back in 1974, all I wanted to do was put on a long, silky gown and tiara and go door to door howling “trick or treat.” Of course, back then I had to settle for a polyester jumper with a gown painted on it and a plastic mask with a built-in tiara.
I never really understood what people meant by having an “out-of-body experience” — until one winter day in early 2022.
A new school year is just weeks away. It has been decades, but I still remember my kindergarten teacher. I never knew her last name – my classmates and I called her Katie, because she said we could. However, I called her Miss Katie because even though this was my first experience in public school, something felt weird about not having some sort of prefix before an adult’s name.
Sometimes, I need an inspiration boost to write this column, usually when my mind is in whirling dervish mode. It happens occasionally and when it does, I take a look at the National Day Calendar website, nationaldaycalendar.com. I am forever amazed by the things we find it necessary to celebrate!
Ellie May Toldo graced our lives in June of 2020. I am not sure what came over me the day our eyes first met at the Humane Society of Genesee County. I have always liked cats. I love all animals; but I have historically been a dog person. I cannot explain it, but my heart simply melted when I laid eyes on sweet Ellie.
I am one of those blessed people who made it to midlife with a living grandparent. I was 46 years old when my maternal grandmother, Barb, passed away in July 2014. There has been a gaping hole in my life ever since. You see, Barb was more than my Gramma, she was the best friend I ever had. I was named after her – my real first name is Barbara. My mom chose to call me Leslie, but I have always been a Barb in my heart.
Lately, I find myself awake in the middle of the night – wide awake at 2:35AM – on the nose, almost nightly. While I find it is a perfect time to catch up on infomercials and snacking without any interruptions, I would rather be sleeping.
We are entering an exciting time of year. Angst, excitement and the sweetness of dreams in the making fill the air. Before you reach for your brackets, you should know that I am NOT talking about March Madness.
If you are a statistics person, love and marriage go together about like divorce and marriage do. Around half of all marriages in this country end in divorce. Not very romantic, is it?
