My friend Trina would have loved the second annual Based on a True Titty variety show, especially when the burlesque dancer Missmagnolia’s purple pasty landed on my mother. Aside from the all-in-good-fun atmosphere, which combined poetry, music, dancing, and humor, the event once again raised both breast cancer awareness and money for the Trina Fund. [...]
Category: cancer
Baseball, Cracker Jacks and mom
Our hero would prefer to remain anonymous, but that is not possible. Appleton police officer Jack Taschner's name is central to this story. He shares most of it, all but one letter, with our other friend, Jack Taschler. The former, a retired MLB pitcher, and the latter, a 10-year old boy, also share a passion [...]
My sister’s brain
I told my sister Kathy her brain should have its own Instagram account. It’s been photographed more often than the Kardashians, and it’s far more interesting. Six times, Kathy has had surgery on it, and six times that beautiful, complicated, challenging organ has survived. If you look inside my sister’s brain, you’ll see a working [...]
A May Day MAYDAY
We celebrated May Day yesterday by opening our front door and finding the sweet May Day basket our neighbor Diane hangs from our front door knob each year. Full of fresh flowers (during warmer springs, plucked from her own garden), homemade candy, and other treats, the basket stands as another testament that we live in [...]
What is real? Honoring the profound, abiding beauty of the soul
Some cultures choose November to celebrate the eternal and transitory nature of the human soul. With optimistic hospitality, they build small altars offering traditional gifts and familiar décor, believing the soul returns annually for a brief period to visit the humans it left behind. I like to think that's true. Who wouldn't want to spend a cool autumn evening [...]