With a little help from Elmo — My husband is always at least a step ahead of himself, thinking his next great thought instead of finishing what he is doing. For this reason, we have lots of conversations about turning off lights, closing cupboards, and locking doors. Last year I had him paying a dollar every time…

Our kids have begun parenting us — “Watch, Daddy!” “Amazing, buddy!” “Look at this, Mommy!” “That was so cool, honey!” The video is old and grainy but the emotions couldn’t be clearer. Kids are taking turns jumping off a diving board in creative ways, beaming as we cheer them on. Wasn’t it just moments ago I was…

The long and winding road to becoming a writer — My parents had more or less lost interest in child-rearing by the time I came along, a decade after they’d already had three kids. My mother was dramatic and unpredictable which left me a little scared of the world. The 40-Year Fib Did a secret ever eat at you for so long you couldn’t take it anymore? This is mine.medium.com If I had a less-than-idyllic childhood, I’ve probably had a happier-than-average…

Why Can’t I Live in a Nice House Without Responsibility? — “This problem is the result of temperature changes and the soil you have here,” he said, pointing at the gap that had opened between the house and the porch, “I’d be willing to bet your foundation issues are extensive.” Extensive is contractor-speak for expensive. Silly us, carelessly leaving our house…

Poetic stories in those red brick buildings — Bus Driver Road warrior vet Naughty kids always throw trash But phones bring quiet Fresh From College Brand new teacher dreams She’ll be the most fun ever But she will soon learn Education Pro Retirement this year Young teachers see dinosaur But she keeps order Sixth Grade Excitement Middle school at last Lockers, dances, sports tryouts What’s algebra though?

New Facebook Group Just For “Ladies of a Certain Age” The first thing that attracted me to The Ethel was the tagline — For Women Who Weren’t Born Yesterday. An offshoot of AARP, The Ethel is a weekly online publication that offers articles of interest to older women. Common topics…

Who knows? But it’s a fun tool! — I’ve recently discovered Open AI Playground, where you can ask a computer to write a poem or story and it appears within moments. There is a lot of discussion about what this will do for the future of writing but most experts agree it will be a long time before…

Not exactly but I’m learning — I felt well-prepared with my third story for The Moth Story Slam in Atlanta. It’s one of my favorites and I had practiced with gestures and inflection. The morning of the show, I got a text from an old friend telling me she enjoyed my second performance, and I took…