Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

It’s true enough that everyone wants be a millionaire, and hope, as they say, springs eternal, which is why the Lottery thrives in times of economic despair and why game shows seduce so many of the viewing audience. I myself have stuffed a few tickets in the Christmas...

Scary Ellen Buys a Car

Saturday night my Dear One and I were up to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to celebrate brother T’s 50th birthday. It was a wonderful party and about a hundred people representing every phase of his life were there to offer felicitations. I also found it an unnerving...

A Basket of Nuts

A few days ago I spent the better part of an afternoon at a restaurant with Usha and Gayle. Usha and Gayle live in the same town and have long been friends. I met them separately, drawn by the forces that bring mothers together. While our children created the...

The Fourths in Unison

In years long, long past, we often celebrated the Fourth of July at the family compound  in New Hampshire. Ma’s father’s family had been visiting Squam Lake since the 19th century; first they boarded at local farm houses and later rented a cottage at...