What is your favorite hobby or pastime? “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” Sylvia Plath I am addicted to baths. It began in my childhood, at what age I cannot say for certain. I can envision myself and my two sisters bobbingContinue reading “The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath”
Category Archives: Love
Lee and Joanne
I first encountered her while doing laundry one afternoon, wordlessly, robotically, tending to our clothes. She taking them out of the dryer and me, placing them in. I can still recall that subterranean, no frills room, whose stark walls and dismal atmosphere would make the perfect backdrop for an Alfred Hitchcock horror film. That was,Continue reading “Lee and Joanne”
Memories of Bear Mountain
It’s the tiny bear trinket I remember, possibly more than the place itself. A delicate little figurine with a soft sprinkling of fuzzy fur on its body, which I loved to carry around and stroke as if it were a real pocket pet. My dad bought this cherished gift for me and my three sistersContinue reading “Memories of Bear Mountain”
Finding Mary
A visit to a cherished next door neighbor, fifty years later, revealed a surprising revelation; you can go home again…
The Galetti Guest House
We sit together miserably, my sister and I, on the sofa of our NYC apartment. Though close in proximity we make sure to stay at least a foot apart, not daring to chance brushing up against each other, even for a split second. The sweltering heat, still villainous at 10 PM, permeates every nook andContinue reading “The Galetti Guest House”
A Mid-Summer’s Daydream
Standing amid a sea of tourists on the teeming Boulevard Saint Germain, I watch as the sidewalk artist works his magic on my sister, who sits posed before him. We are in Paris for the weekend, the result of an incredible airfare originating from Dublin, where we are spending two weeks of the summer withContinue reading “A Mid-Summer’s Daydream”
“I made it through the rain“
My “letter to the editor” of the Irish Times published this week☘️
Unsung Heroes
Sometimes, it is those in the background, the ones who are not center stage, that make a difference. The heroes among us who do their work, unceremoniously unnoticed. I have chosen three colleagues of mine from the Psych hospital where I work, who touch the lives of our patients every day and whose acts ofContinue reading “Unsung Heroes”
The Boxer in the Jade Green Dress
If there was one word that would best describe the essence of Margaret Sullivan, I believe it would be grit. Throw in madcap, resilient, stubborn and fearless and you might just capture her spirit perfectly. She was a delightful olio, stirred, shaken and generously poured into the life of those fortunate enough to have hadContinue reading “The Boxer in the Jade Green Dress”
Bear Mountain
It’s the tiny bear trinket I remember, possibly more than the place itself. A delicate little figurine with a soft sprinkling of fuzzy fur on its body, which I loved to carry around and stroke as if it were a real pocket pet. My dad bought this cherished gift for me and my three sistersContinue reading “Bear Mountain”
Shangri-La 