“Are they real?” she asked. I took a step back as she began to move into my personal space. “As real as I could afford,” I responded only after a long pause and giving her a look that should have been interpreted as “I can’t believe you are asking that question”. I actually thought she was going to reach over and touch them.A long, beautiful strand of black pearls. But were they? They were real imitation black pearls, and I didn’t try to deny it.I suppose I should have been flattered that Continue Reading
The Great Clothing Cleanse
It was a long time coming, and I wanted to postpone it for yet another year, but it was time. Last weekend was the Great Clothing Cleanse of 2015, you know, sort of like celebrities do before awards season. But this wasn’t about drinking a kale and carrot smoothie to lose weight; this was all about getting rid of clothes to gain space. This spring, instead of simply shuffling seasonal clothes and shoes from a basement storage area to my closet, switching them out, and then hauling the blacks and Continue Reading
It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad March
I'm mad, mad, mad, I tell you, and I can't take it anymore! And it's all because of this silly little thing called March Madness! The anxiety and nervousness; I've been bitten by the bug and the only remedy is the time release cure that will burst forward within a week. In my relief, I will grieve its passing. Of course, I’m talking about college basketball, and Michigan State's games are driving me crazy; I can barely watch them anymore. Two weekends ago, I set a personal best for quilting Continue Reading
Finding Life in the Cemetery
For the life of me, I don’t understand why I find so much inspiration and enjoyment in a cemetery. Oh don’t worry, I’m not plot shopping. But I have to confess, the older I get, I do find cemeteries more intriguing.On Wednesday, I visited the little known Camp Chase, a confederate cemetery on the west side of Columbus, Ohio. It is a well maintained, neatly enclosed final resting place for more than 2100 souls who were held captive at this Civil War Union POW camp. I’d learned about this while Continue Reading