Now that I know two of my four great-grandmothers had Gertrude in their names and hid it, am I obligated to ironically name my first daughter Gertrude? Where the hell was my great-grandfather Whipple before 1930? And what were his parents’ names? Will they trace back to the Mayflower Whipples, or the ones who came [...]
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I took to reporting and journalism (in spite of veering professionally into nonprofit editing and web communications) because I thrive on knowing stuff and having a record of things that happen. The parchment from American University says “journalism,” but I consider it a degree in Asking Questions and Finding Stuff Out. (My master’s degree, naturally, [...]
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Many thanks for the prayers and well wishes last week. Memere is stable and out of ICU, and she seems to understand some things and recognize people. She’s able to do some things with her left side, but Dad says it’s not quite consistent — they don’t know how much is intentional and how much [...]
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Or: Why there is a rosary in my car right now Sometime Wednesday morning, my Memere — the matriarch without whom that last post would never have existed (to say nothing of its author) — suffered a massive and debilitating stroke. We’re not sure what time, but it seems reasonable to assume it happened fast [...]
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Check out my gorgeous cousin and his gorgeous bride on their wedding day. I can concur with my aunt, who still lets me call her Aunt Cookie, for some reason: This is the perfect woman for Steph. That beautiful background is The Ponds at Bolton Valley Resort in Bolton, Vermont. No color correction necessary for this event. While [...]
Filed under: A life less ordinary, G-Clan, No place like home, Old Enough to Know Better, Shutterbug | 2 Comments »
A few times this weekend, I heard a combination of the following: Column A: You / Someone should Column B: take / hold onto / keep this because Column C: it’s nice / it’s engraved / you might use it / your children might like to have it. I developed a mantra: Take it or toss [...]
Filed under: Conspicuous consumption, If it's not one thing, it's your mother | 2 Comments »
1. A letter from my great-grandmother, Grandma Whipple, to my parents in the summer of 1975. It begins “Dear Children,” but is clearly written to my mother after a visit. My parents had broken ground on the house and Mom had talked with Grandma W about wanting to have children right away. Grandma W urges [...]
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Starting Friday, I’ll be packing up Mom’s house and finding homes (or estate auctions) for a lifetime’s leftovers. I’m heading for Vermont, and I have two goals: empty out the house for new (probable) owners, and celebrate the wedding of my cousin (and spare little brother). The End We’re under contract with a young family [...]
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I have a cavity. A little one. In a wisdom tooth that already has an old silver filling in it, likely done in my early 20s during a flurry of I-FINALLY-HAVE-INSURANCE dental and medical appointments. The quote from my dentist: “No matter how hard you try, it’s impossible to brush these perfectly every time. It’s [...]
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Bad example: During one meeting of my Not-for-profits in the Digital Age class this summer, the instructor spent 15 minutes (literally — we watched the clock) telling us about a bad experience at a chain hotel on her vacation. While her husband argued with the concierge, she tweeted about the incident; she felt the hotel [...]
Filed under: Booklearnin', Internets | 2 Comments »
