My neighborhood isn’t as pretty as the sinuous, color-coordinated, HOA-governed neighborhoods. Our streets are pot-holed, sidewalks abruptly end without apology, and some front yards have become gravel parking lots for boats and […]
“This coronavirus pandemic… has heightened my awareness that now, more than ever, we need to make the most of everything we’ve got.”
In 1918, my great-grandmother, Frances Pengelski, was married with two babies under two years old, living in relative poverty in Brooklyn. I was fortunate to know my nana well. The year I […]
“But it is an emergency,” I want to say, or rather wail, as the woman on the other end of the phone says goodbye. No, this isn’t about COVID-19 or any other […]
*Note: This was written on March 10. A lot has changed in a week. Long before COVID-19, I practiced social distancing. In fact, I practice self-isolation most of the time now, […]
I got into raising monarchs by accident, but once I saw the many threats to this not-quite-endangered species, I purposely set about learning all I could to help keep their population healthy […]
I have been in absolute panic mode now for almost a full week. The health scares in the news are perfectly designed to hit dead-center in the Venn diagram that comprise my […]
The first time my mother disparaged my weight, I was thirteen. I wore a size 7. My best friend and I were shopping, finding outfits for the fashion show our dramatic choir […]
My mother gave up driving fifteen years ago. She gave it up because she no longer wanted to navigate the terrible traffic congestion in the Dallas metroplex area. She got tired […]
When I drive, I tend not to take things personally. Interestingly, my practice in doing this on the road translates very well into how not to take things personally in my life.
The Gloria Sirens 