Alleged Gunman at My Son’s School The first messages I “heard” about the situation Tuesday morning were that my son’s high school was on lockdown, a parent had spotted a man in a trench coat with a gun on campus, and the kids were up against the wall in the cafeteria. I put quotes around “heard” because it’s all a blur and I don’t really know what was actually texted, spoken on the phone with police, etc. The panic that took over left my cognitive capabilities seriously compromi...Read More

The Smells of Summer When you’re a teacher, you can feel summer coming in your weary bones. Toward the end of a school year, all you have to do is give another teacher a certain look and they’ll report how many days or weeks are left, in an effort to help you both hang on. There are distinct smells of summer for me. Jasmine, pool chlorine, chilled chardonnay. Ocean air, sunscreen, sandy Cheez-its. I can almost get a whiff already if I try hard enough. Don’t get me wrong. I love my jo...Read More

My Baby’s Behind the Wheel Some life changes happen so slowly you barely notice them. Like when you start to realize that your dog has gotten old and might not live much longer, though you can’t begin to imagine your home without him. That was me not so long ago. Other changes literally happen overnight and you find yourself completely blindsided by the unexpected and messy emotions they bring, even when you knew the change was coming. That’s me today. My 16 year old son got his d...Read More

I’m in that funky space of just having finished a book I got so into that I don’t want to start another one because there’s no way it’ll be as good. Know what I mean? In case you’re wondering… the book is Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino. And I’m not alone. The reviews of this book are crazy good. Check it out for yourself on Goodreads and Amazon. So Renee and I were chatting yesterday about how much I loved her book when I asked her to write a guest post for me – for the very ne...Read More

Momnesia My relationship with reading has always been on-again, off-again.  But lately, it’s back in the throes of passion stage.  Why?  Because of the unbelievably talented writers I’ve made friends with online.  Being able to chat directly with authors about their books is beyond thrilling. Momnesia stirred such strong emotions that just writing my review of it involved starting at a blank screen for quite a while, a glass of wine, and some deep soul searching. So I thought I�...Read More