Access the audio version here . At the recommendation of an overly ambitious friend, I've signed up for an event called the "AtoZ Challenge," coincidentally the caption of the above picture. I call attention to the above referenced image only because it took me so long to insert it into this blog on my son's Mac, I need confirmation for my soul that you've at least looked at it. When someone mentions a challenge, I figure one of two things will happen: I'll either embrace i

Access the audio version here. My dad was the caretaker for his parents for years. I don’t know how many exactly but he’s definitely a...

My husband thinks I’m confident. He wonders why. My answer is simple: I think I’m far prettier than I am. Really. I see younger bodies,...

Our dog weighs six pounds. Her name is Sweet. I tell people right off the bat, “That’s deceptive.” Sweet likes to hibernate in winter....

I have a bad shoulder. It’s not horrible, like some, but it’s inconvenient enough that I’ve now mastered working it into conversation...

My son is an only child. He’s also the only one who gets blamed when I can’t find something and the only one who gets to take out the...

I’m going gray. Matter of fact, I’m not going, I’ve arrived. I caught the bus and rode that sucker out of town without even a ticket. I...

When I slipped from the womb, all that kept me from climbing on the back of a horse was my lack of mobility. And a horse, of course. Due...

I miss some things about living in Iowa: Watching television from the davenport. Tying my tennis shoes to play outside. Enjoying a bubbly...

Access the audio version here. I curse expectations. It would help if I admit that the smoke alarm in our house has an overactive...

I had shoulder surgery. I've whined about it so much I'm surprised if this is the first you've heard. When I walked into the hospital the...

While glancing in a public restroom mirror (not the most flattering light in which to observe oneself), a routine thought crossed my mind: p

We were just trying to get home – my husband, my ten-year-old son, and our six pound dog. But a block from a family picnic, seventy miles...

My cousins were in town. Cousins are a different type of relative. They're like “breakfast.” You can either take it or leave it. And if...

Recently we drove through scenic Alburtis, Pennsylvania where I picked up some great curbside appeal ideas. Like endless ways to use...

I had two indoor cats. Then I had two outdoor cats. Actually they were the same cats, I just recycled them. Don’t get me wrong. They were...

When I say fluff, I’m not talking about the cavity-enhancer that complements peanut butter. I’m referring to an accumulation of hair,...

I have short hair. It wasn’t intentional. You know you’re in trouble when you walk into a salon dreaming of a slight trim to someday...

Had I been able to speak, I might have said something like, “What the fuck?!” I’m told this is not an odd phrase to pour from the mouth of a

I don’t mind wounds. I’ve broken my nose, sprained ankles and even had a minor fracture. You get good mileage from a colorful wound or a set