Octopus Parenting

I was raised by a woman who once told me that she purchased our family home for one important reason: The real estate agent told her there were plenty of babysitters around. My mother practiced a form of what some might consider “hands off” parenting. Most of the time, I was a free-range kid. I…

San Juan City Views

Eighteen inches of snow are meant to fall here in New England – all by tomorrow afternoon. Yes, 18 inches. I must add that we just received the gift of 10 inches of powder a few days ago.  Apparently New England likes to dump an entire winter on its inhabitants in one sitting.  Don’t get me…

Bearing Witness

It had been a struggle to find focus. My mind felt continuously foggy and preoccupied. To get into a different mindset, I made an effort at light house cleaning. It didn’t last. The dust bunnies in the corners of the room continued to expand dramatically and seemed more aptly described as dust elephants. The “clean” laundry…

California

Reinvention is a blast. And free time is a beautiful thing. I finally have a few moments to work on the blog and I’ve decided to end 2016 on a different note. There is a new look and a new format, as the blog is now specifically essay-based; both personal and photographic (and more written…

Springing Up

I enjoy bellying up to a cozy bar, husband within arm’s reach and a good cocktail even closer by. This is not always easy to do in the mountains of New Hampshire, so on a recent trip to Boston we did an awful lot of bar hopping. We drank spicy and aromatic concoctions and managed to…

There’s a Starman Waiting in the Sky…

I looked out at the students sitting in front of me, ready to continue the discussion and anxiously awaiting their responses to the question I had just posed.   Instead, I was the recipient of blank stares. I could practically hear the crickets in the background. This scenario probably doesn’t sound all that unusual to other college…

A Very Hungry Veterinarian’s Vocabulary

The group of people who inspired The Very Hungry Entourage blog are all, in some way, connected to the practice of veterinary medicine. Together (often hugging, gorging on cheese products, drinking copious amounts of alcohol, or screaming bloody murder) we have supported each other through the strange, frustrating, hilarious, and heartbreaking moments that are involved with the…

Guilt on a Tropical Island

I walked to the beach hoping to find my husband and two drinks waiting for me under a palm tree, but I couldn’t locate him anywhere. Suddenly I heard his voice, and off in the distance I saw him – surrounded by two women, with a very concerned look on his face.  He beckoned me forward,…