She Needs Both of Her Hands Free to Scratch Her Butt

My daughter is going through that phase where she wants to pretend to be completely independent. The most humiliating thing she can imagine happening to her is for me to kiss her in public. Charlotte would like for all of her friends to think that she was raised by wolves or possibly cloned. It’s just …

We Have a New Pet

We have a gopher or a groundhog. We don’t know which. We couldn’t get a very close look at him (or her) because he was shy. But, we did see him run under our shed, and we think maybe he’s taken up residence there. I’m just hoping none of the neighbors try to kill OUR …

Let Me Call You Sweetheart

Michael frequently calls me “sweetheart.” It’s a word with three meanings. He once explained his usage to me, but it was unnecessary. I’ve always been able to tell which version of the word he’s using by hearing the tone of his voice. But, in case you ever get to meet us in person, I’ll try …

Have You Tried Jiggling It?

The way cable television works is a mystery to me. It’s just a bunch of wires and gadgets, and I don’t know which doohickey connects to which thingamajigger to make the pictures come onto the television screen. (I hope I haven’t lost anyone with all the technical terminology I’m using, but I think it’s important …

Lazy Daze of Summer

I’m taking a moment to recover from mowing the front lawn, and am strongly considering astroturf. Pant. Pant. Pant. I still have some weeding to do. By the way, who were the geniuses who decided that the flowers and plants which grow most abundantly are ugly weeds and must be ripped asunder whenever and wherever …