An evil weevil repeat

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Dear readers: Several years ago I shared the following story as part of a paid campaign. Here I share it again (modified) simply because weevils and their evils are on my mind once more as I prepare to host Thanksgiving dinner.

indian corn
photo: stock.xchng

Many years ago I established a tradition of spreading Indian-corn kernels on the Thanksgiving dinner table. Friends and family are invited to place kernels symbolizing their personal blessings in the special "gratitude" dish at any time during the meal.

It’s a kinder, gentler, and less intrusive way of getting all around the table to give thanks without shining an invasive spotlight on folks not used to spotlights or  expressing gratitude out loud, be it to friends or to family.

I could never explain the tradition to newcomers to our Thanksgiving table. Each time I'd begin the explanation, I would get...

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National Family Caregivers Month and 'Doing The Right Thing'

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November is Family Caregivers Month, which recognizes the challenging work of the more than 65 million people—29 percent of the U.S. population—who provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member or friend (according to National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP). More importantly, the campaign stresses the need for those around the caregiver to offer support... and breaks from the job, when possible.

I am not a caregiver. I'm fortunate in that my own mother fares well on her own at this point and doesn't require care. My mother-in-law does, though. Professionals in the nursing home where she resides provide her primary care. Jim's sister Sue, who lives near the home, tirelessly offers Mom the nearly daily love, care, and attention only a family member can provide—despite Sue having a full-time job and busy life of her own, needs of her own.

family caregiver

Sue is, without doubt, the hero of...

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Grandma's colorful, creepy crowd

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Halloween has gotten far more colorful since I became a grandma.

A little more creepy, too, I must admit.

Proof lies in my seasonal pics from the past seven years:

halloween costumes 

Oh, how I love my creepy, colorful...

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Musing elsewhere: Thoughts on my daughter's miscarriage (PurpleClover.com)

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Thoughts on my daughter's miscarriage

Published October 18, 2015 on PurpleClover.com

purpleclover.com

My daughter lost her baby last week. A miscarriage in the first trimester.

Coming from an abundantly fertile family, it's hard to wrap my head around that. My mom had seven children. Three of my sisters had several children, and a number of those kids had kids. I had three children myself, and my middle child had three children, too.

All of us had no problem. Yet it's a problem for my oldest child, Brianna.

"Problem" doesn't come close to accurately describing the fertility challenge for my daughter. A dead baby is far more than a problem. It's a painful, traumatic, inexplicable loss.

My 33-year-old daughter, who learned just this past year that her chances for conceiving and delivering a child are sadly...

Click to continue reading on PurpleClover.com...

Here and now: October 15, 2015

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clock and book 

On my mind...

The extreme ups and downs of life. Last week, I set out on an amazing adventure on the sunrise coast of Michigan. The week before, my oldest daughter...

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Saturday movie review: Match

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My husband and I have watched a fair share of movies based on stage plays in the past several months and have been continually disappointed. After we aborted watching about two-thirds of the way through one painfully slow story—with a lovely and talented cast that simply could not save the show—we agreed to steer clear of movies based on plays going forward.

I'm grateful I had no idea MATCH was based on a play before we started watching it. For had I known then refused to watch the film starring Patrick Stewart, Carla Gugino, and Matthew Lillard was originally a 2005 Broadway play written by Stephen Belber and starring Frank Langella, I would have missed out on a minimal yet powerful, thought-provoking, and memorable story.

MATCH movie

Belber wrote and directed the film based on his play about an aging former world-traveling ballet dancer, Tobias or "Tobi" (Patrick Stewart), who's retired from dance and...

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Sole model, plus GRAND Social No. 170 link party for grandparents

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Sole model

My daughter Megan has a great resource for buying and selling used goods. It's a Facebook community group called Swip Swap, and all those buying and selling are located in her community. You post something for sale or something that you want, and in no time there's a swap going on between folks mere minutes apart.

Megan has bought and sold quite a bit through Swip Swap. Saturday evening she texted me a photo of some great running shoes she wondered if I'd want that were just $10. I said, "Sure!" She said, "Sold!"

Soon after, she had the goods in hand and sent me this photo of Jak modeling Gramma's new K-Swiss size 7.5 running shoes:

toddler in running shoes 

I'm not sure which is better: having a daughter who...

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Birthday gals, plus GRAND Social No. 169 link party for grandparents

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Birthday gals

Welcome back! I hope your weekend was great!

My weekend was spent celebrating birthdays. Saturday's birthday gal was my oldest daughter, Brianna, who turned 33 last Tuesday:

mother and daughter 

Sunday's celebration was for my mom, who turns...

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Here and now: August 20, 2015

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In my world...

clock and book

On my mind...

On NBC News Tuesday night, there was a report of an unscrupulous doctor who had been egregiously knowingly misdiagnosing patients with MS. Such a horrible thing to do. I have MS. BUT, though his actions are unconscionable, that's not what most stuck with me after viewing the report. What did stick with me was a comment from one of the women incorrectly diagnosed. She stated that...

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