I did not remember the gifts I gave away until they were returned — It was 4 years before I could attend a family reunion. Four years of selling everything and moving across the country to attend tech school. Then, Covid and an end to all gatherings. Those years were painful. I started from scratch, without friends or furniture I slogged through school to…

I have gotten old too darn fast. — I spent a good portion of my life raising four children (in what I describe as my conservative Christian period) only to get divorced. I had to re-invent myself. Change is the only constant. I embraced it fully in 2017. I learned to say “Yes!” to new things and since that time I have had…

My Trip from Florida to the Bahamas on a Sailboat. — I had only started sailing in the previous 6 months, helping the real Sailor move his Cheoy Lee designed sailboat, Blown Away from Rhode Island to Florida on weekends, a good way to social distance and be outside, although a tad cold. I still confused “port” with “starboard.” If I…

Poetry — My chair is wet, even through a towel. Coffee cannot penetrate this morning’s chill. Each slender grass stalk glistens. The rain has left droplets, jewels on shimmering green. A blue jay hops on branches of the maple raining plops on the lawn. When the sun shines through the limbs the earth…

A Fortified Piece of Living History off the island of Crete — Leprosy is an affliction which results in painful sores and nerve damage. Also known as Hansen’s disease, it is possible to contract it through contact with armadillos. Yes, aramadillo meat can be infected with the bacteria, so limit your intake. ;) In biblical times, it was considered acceptable to throw…

Keep the long-term goals in mind when you are simply changing scenery with toddlers — My grown son, daughter and I visited Greece last week. One purchased the tickets, flights and accommodations as a gift. The other researched places to stay and things to do. I packed my bag and showed up, smiling. Maybe you read my story about my previous travels with this same…

(Almost) Calorie-free with ice cream! — As you drive through Connecticut, that blip of a state, between New York and Boston, spare a few hours for a taste of New England and its shoreline by pulling off at Niantic in East Lyme. It’s a gem of a small town, blue- collar, military and fishing hamlet tucked…

An Uber driver shares her interactions with a healthcare worker — I picked her up in front of a row of apartment buildings. She was standing near the curb, brow furrowed. I slowed and she asked, “Are you Catherine?” “Yes, are you Trish?” She opened the back door and put down the window. …