My ice cream freezer died.  My wonderful, White Mountain, can-churn-anything-until-it’s-hard-as-a-brick-bat, came-over-on-the-Mayflower ice cream freezer died.  The motor simply couldn’t turn the dasher anymore.  It just sat there making an awful racket.  So I ordered another one. The arrival of the new freezer happened to coincide with the arrival of our three grandchildren for a three […]

The director was impressed with the facility, a home for veterans who could no longer care for themselves.  It was the first time he had been there, the first time we had been called upon to assist the family of one of the residents.  When he looked at the call sheet, that slip of paper […]

On occasion a few of us will spontaneously gather in the office and find ourselves discussing the latest series of events that didn’t have to be.  One particular discussion centered around how many people don’t know where the important papers are stored.  You know . . . wills and deeds and insurance policies and car […]

A few years ago, I answered a call from someone with the Red Cross.  They were checking to see if we were serving a particular family; a relative of the deceased was serving overseas and they were working with the military to bring him home for the service.  But first they had to verify that […]

The arrangement conference had gone as well as could be expected, given the circumstances surrounding his life and death.  His family had fully anticipated this turn of events, so much so that his mother had even asked one of the directors what she should do if it happened since he was residing several states away. […]

Lately I seem to have been afflicted with horseflies.  You know, those monsters that you can hear bouncing all around you . . . running into walls . . . buzzing overhead.  Then all of a sudden . . . BAM!! They take a chunk out of you and you scream.  When I was younger […]

Of late we as a people seem to have been pummeled with bad news and terrible situations.  I say “of late” because I don’t remember life ever being this  . . . distressing . . . disturbing . . .?  Are those the words for which I’m searching?  I’m sure there are plenty of others, […]

In case you’ve been living under a rock these past few weeks, allow me to mention that Sunday is Father’s Day—that day set aside to honor fathers for all their contributions to the world in general and family life in particular.  So far I’ve received emails encouraging me to shop the specials and surprise my […]

Several years ago, my son and daughter-in-law had gone Christmas shopping in search of, among other things, something for me.  Now, some folks will tell you I’m hard to buy for.  Those are the people who don’t know me.  The rest know you can write a check to a charity or walk into a Disney […]

Every year my little one and her husband escape to various destinations right about Memorial Day/Guinniversary—‘cause those dates generally overlap.  And every year I’m in charge of evening pet care at their abode—namely the feeding and watering of four cats and two dogs with a few other tasks thrown in for good measure.  All cats […]