Amazing Grace

I remember her laugh. That mirthful, contagious laughter which often caused her eyes to well up with tears as she relayed one of her many tales. She loved a funny story. Some days I drive slowly down Catbrier Lane, past her old house. It holds new owners now, people I have never known. Her familyContinue reading “Amazing Grace”

The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath

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”

Irish Summers Remembered

Describe your most memorable vacation… “Last night I had a pleasant dream I woke up with a smile. I dreamt that I was back again in dear old Erin’s Isle” (Lovely Leitrim) “Now this looks interesting!” pondered my father a hint of excitement in his voice as he sat studying the Irish paper. It wasContinue reading “Irish Summers Remembered”

Finding Mary

A visit to a cherished next door neighbor, fifty years later, revealed a surprising revelation; you can go home again…

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”

Frogs, in Life and Death

I have always loved frogs. It started the day my father, he too a frog lover, brought my three sisters and me, to the downstairs pet department of Woolworth’s five and dime. Standing before a random aquarium, I spotted a brilliant flash of jade green, gleefully darting around the tank. And then, as if sensingContinue reading “Frogs, in Life and Death”