Are you taking an airplane trip over six hours? Oh, the excitement! The anticipation of the unfamiliar! Learning the history, walking the places, meeting the people, and eating different food! It’s been a year since I crossed an ocean and my bohemian self is longing for an extended plane ride…

The same as when Jackie was pushing me to embrace Sudoku, I ignored her telling me about podcasts for months. Many and lots of months. Yeah, yeah I would respond and go about my business. I have enough voices in my head every day. Being attentive to someone’s chatter while I’m occupied with something else held no appeal. But, Jackie would say, this one is about…. Then Michael Connelly’s second…

How did America get here? Are you watching the same live TV I’m watching? Here’s an easy way for you to assess my politics: I have never voted for a sitting president.* I wasn’t eligible to vote for him the year Jimmy Carter took office. I’ve been a fan of his since 1977. In my first election, when Ronald Reagan ran against Carter and…

When you and your spouse have adjoining home offices. — Alex is fairly patient with me. I give him a lot of credit for this. Having been single most of our lives, we each have our unique foibles. He puts up with my compulsions, whirlwind of activities, projects scattered hither and yon about both the house and yard. Where his patience fails is being home for…

My tiny mom sits on the edge of the cool porcelain tub resting after her shower. Once five feet tall, she is smaller now, lighter too, one breast missing from a mastectomy, that cancer gone years ago, a new version working on her lung. I hate it. She rests there…

Learning to be a Christian is a lifelong commitment to studying and pursuing a life of faith — For several years, I participated in a Bible study group with women who had been Christians much longer than I had. Eventually, the question of how I came to Christ was asked. They have, I have, people we pray for who we hope will realize that Christ is there for…

Joanne is ten years younger than me, born in May instead of in June, one day later. Everyone in my family was born on the 25th or 26th except Jackie. She chose April Fool’s Day to come into the world. Jackie and I were planned. I like to believe we…

I love to entertain. When I lived in Red Lodge, Montana, it was easy to announce a potluck dinner party on a Monday for that Friday. Small town proximity made it simple to work with each other’s schedules, even with busy calendars. …

When I first joined the Medium Partner Program, there was an awesome criteria in place for you to earn money: You had to both contribute your writing and be an active reader. You had to be part of the community supporting fellow writers. This meant you had to spend time…