It’s not every day you get to have your birthday smack-dab in the middle of a #&%*ing pandemic (I’m taking this time of isolation and reflection, btw,… Read more “April 29 2020—pandemic parade”

I live next door to my cousin, Erin, and her lovely family in Minneapolis. Last fall, I moved into the apartment where her mom, my beloved Auntie Pattycakes,… Read more “april 28, 2020—your table awaits, madame”

We’re all doing what we must these days (except huffing Lysol, right?), to help flatten a silent, deadly threat that’s creeping across the globe. Still, I hope… Read more “april 26, 2020—southern MN drive by”

I pull into the quasi-empty parking lot mid-afternoon. Still too full for my comfort, at least it’s not log-jammed like every grocery store, uber-Target and co-op in… Read more “april 20, 2020—field notes: grocery shopping in the time of coronavirus”

For someone who’s not a hugger by nature (who truthfully, kinda inwardly flinches when someone boldly announces “I’m a hugger!”), one of the things I miss most… Read more “april 14, 2020—not a hugger”

Took Rocco out tonight for our last walk of the evening, kept scanning the skies for the mythical pink moon. We walked for blocks, but it was… Read more “april 7, 2020—catch you later, John Prine…”

Driving to the food shelf to volunteer for a shift yesterday—wait, was it this morning?—last year?—maybe I’m making this story up, who knows anything any more? Anyway,… Read more “april 3, 2020—food shelf shift”

Hope in a hopeless world: tabs finally arrived, thereby ending my daily, polite, proof of purchase dashboard plea to the city of Mpls: “please! stop giving me… Read more “april 2, 2020—tabs arrived!”

Hands-down, the most memorable compliment I’ve ever received in my life was not “well, you’re pretty good looking for a redhead,” but being called, “the John Prine… Read more “april 1, 2020—get well soon, John Prine”

A funny thing happened on the way to the new year, which feels so long ago, doesn’t it? Like, longer than a lifetime ago, like someone else’s… Read more “march 31, 2020—a funny thing happened on the way to the new year”