Around the time of my birthday every year, my mother would tell me how happy she had become once I came into her life. “Tell me how you found me,” I would say. “It’s a sad story,” she would respond. […]
Dogs and Wolves In My Dreams
My demons come back when we return to our room. The ventilation system doesn’t work well and there are no controls. The room is a perfect seventy-eight degrees with moderate humidity, but I want it seventy-two and I want a […]
Empty Streets and Dinner at the Ruddy Duck
After checking into the Pittsburgh Ramada Inn, we head out onto the streets to find a place to eat, but all the restaurants are closed and there’s practically no one around. It’s a beautiful summer evening, a bit of cool […]
Dumb and Dumber
My brother Jesse is one of my best friends. I didn’t realize that until we were in high school. Another best friend is my sister Jennifer. They are both brilliant professionals now. Jesse is a USAID program director in Kenya, […]
Finding Out What We Find Out
Our original idea for a summer vacation had been to rent a cottage in Maine or New Hampshire. Sam, my oldest son and from my first marriage, spends Augusts in Maine with his mother at their family summer home. The […]
Something a Philosopher Said
In February 2003 I turned forty-five. My family gave me lots of nice gifts. After I’d opened them, we sat around the dining room table eating cake and ice cream while I told stories of growing up in Missouri. After […]
Cattle Cars and Aliens on the Turnpike
Photo to the left is me with my first-born son, Sam, circa spring 1989. What were we? Where did we come from? August 15, 2003 We set off west for Richmond, Indiana and the traffic is like a line of […]
