I cannot say for certain when I first made his acquaintance or tell you the exact day he stole my heart. We had just moved to a small town in Connecticut from New York City following the 9/11 tragedy. Our new home’s family room sported an enormous glass window which overlooked the back yard, aContinue reading “Ode to a Pheasant”
Author Archives: Kathy Simmons
The Lonely Sweater
Glancing in the window of a recently closed children’s consignment shop, I spotted this tiny orange sweater, hanging forlornly in the now abandoned store front. This sad sight left me to ponder why this one vibrant item adorned in grinning teddy bears, remained. Perhaps a testament to a dream that was not to be orContinue reading “The Lonely Sweater”
Thursday Doors
“Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door…” Emily Dickinson Re-sharing an old post this morning for Thursday doors, because you cannot have too many reminders…
Barbara Marshall
For Leslie “Mom, there’s a lady in the bushes,” said my six year old son nonchalantly. He sat fixated in front of the television, mesmerized by the dance moves of his very favorite group “The Wiggles,” icons of the ten-and-under set. The charismatic foursome clad in identical black pants and vividly colored tee shirts, wereContinue reading “Barbara Marshall”
Camera Shy
It is 3:30 PM on a balmy Friday afternoon and school has just let out for the weekend. My best friend Janet and I stroll down Plandome Road with no particular direction in mind. Our mood is jubilant, carefree. We chatter about the three most pressing matters in the life of a high school freshman;Continue reading “Camera Shy”
Lovely Lily
It is a Friday, late afternoon, and I have just gotten off the school bus. Walking up the front path of my Long Island home, I hear laughter from inside, amid the whirr of a blender. Following the sound of merriment to the kitchen, I spot my mother and my Aunt Lily sitting together atContinue reading “Lovely Lily”
Grant’s Goodbye
I originally wrote this story almost ten years ago but decided to re-incarnate as I had the great pleasure of recently hearing Grant, now a young man, is enjoying life, content and accomplished in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by his beloved forests. He is studying to be a Mental Health counselor. His name has beenContinue reading “Grant’s Goodbye”
Let Them Eat Cake
We have all been there. Being presented with the dreaded fruit cake during holiday gift giving. This Americanized and far different version of the light and lovely, Italian Panettone, is often a leader in the well meaning but often sneaky world of “re-gifting.” Fruit cakes have been the core of cruel jokes the world over andContinue reading “Let Them Eat Cake”
To David on his 60th Birthday
I hold a photograph in my hand. A picture from long ago. Though frayed and fading, it is one that tells a story. A melancholy tale of family, friendship, love and loss. And the unrelenting passage of time. I study the image taken with my father’s old Polaroid camera. Fifty years have come and gone,Continue reading “To David on his 60th Birthday”
The Soup Thief
This afternoon I visited the small market that inspired this story. There was a chill in the air which prompted the need to re-share with all my fellow soup lovers… Day One – Torture. It is nearing lunchtime and I am missing my daily fix. Surely I can make it till dinner. Or can I?Continue reading “The Soup Thief”
Shangri-La 