As the firstborn daughter in the mid-’60s, I came home to a nursery decorated in soft pink. Mom tells the story of going with Dad, Judy, and Judy’s boyfriend, Spence, on a Saturday to buy a round, fuzzy, pink rug in Madison. Mom had exactly $13 in her purse for the purchase. Unfortunately, they were stopped for speeding. The ticket was $13. Judy and Spence bought their downhill skis, but mom decided to wait and save the money…again.
It was purchased after I was born.
I tend to be a creature of habit. If something was done one way for me as a child, I feel the need to inflict that same thing on my kids. The Christmas cookie decorating ritual would be one example. Another example would be first bedrooms. Continue reading
When I was a little girl, I had my own room. I don’t remember much about it except that my sister Sandy used to visit me and play. My roll-a-way had a handle that we pretended was the steering wheel on our pirate ship. Because we frequently got together to play in my room, our parents decided that we must want to share a room. Continue reading
Growing up, my mom was private about girl stuff and things I should be aware of. My older sister Sandy and I shared a room and she was the one I went to with questions about life and guys and relationships. I was shy growing up and Sandy’s advice helped me to handle a variety of situations. I knew she always had my back although she did tease me a bit first. Continue reading
Having worked in a law office for 56 years one would hope that I learned a lot. Actually, I worked for my current boss’s dad for twenty-three of those 56 years and learned an awful lot. Bruce was his name and he loved to teach. This was fortunate for me as I came to the office without a college degree, having just graduated from high school. I was the only secretary he had for a long time and while training me he was very good at teaching me why things had to be done a certain way and then how to accomplish this. He also gave me free rein once I had certain projects down pat. Continue reading
In talking about mentors, I keep coming up with one person who has consistently been there for me for my whole life. She has known me from birth through the present. Sometimes she has lived close, at other times on the other side of the country. I’ve always looked up to her and admired her for the ways she’s embodied and encouraged me to be adventurous, self-confident, and independent… Continue reading
One of the biggest mentors I had in my life was my sister Lisa, but I’ve already written about her, so let’s give someone else the spotlight. During my time working at a local bank, I had an amazing mentor come into my life. She was a challenging person, but very smart, and dedicated and it was my goal to make her happy. Continue reading
I always say that since I have become a grandma I seem to constantly be in trouble, or at least get blamed for some happening that the kids get me involved in.
I have a rather rambunctious, curious grandson who has always kept everyone on their toes. He is sweet, fun-loving, and as I said, curious and adventuresome. Continue reading
Being a little sister is not always easy. Whenever Sandy and her girlfriends were trying things out, I wanted to try them too.
As is often the case, when I was going through this experience, it wasn’t funny. With every telling, it gets funnier and funnier. And now, it is downright hysterical. Continue reading
I’ve never been known as an awesome driver. As a matter of fact, I’ve been teased relentlessly over the years for developing ADD tendencies while behind the wheel.
This propensity to ADD while driving has its drawbacks. But sometimes I get into trouble even when I’m clearly 100% focused. like. when…backing up.
Most recently, I had a day job driving a forklift. I loaded freight onto a pallet and moved said freight to a staging area. On one fateful day, I had a “big and bulky” load of only 2 items. I was “looking alertly in the direction of movement with my body appropriately having 4 points of contact with the lift and using a wide-legged supported stance” as I maneuvered my pallet into the lane. Unfortunately, the load of boxes was blocking my ability to see the barrier rod that prevented people from entering a conveyor area. Continue reading
