by Jody | Family, Human Condition
Death is a fact of life, especially for those of us in middle age. Although a few of us may wrestle with the issues of mortality on a personal level, it is more likely that we are traveling final roads with parents. The past few years have been filled with goodbyes...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
He has been sober since late summer, a result of finally being jailed — not for drug use as we had all expected, but for excessive noise and property damage. The irony is that he was not under the influence when he finally lost it. He had just emerged from a haze that...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
In 1958, we lived in Jacksonville, Indiana on Clay Avenue, next to what had been a farm in earlier days. Now our place, and theirs, was on a street lined with elm trees.The barn next door was a playground for us all, but particularly for the grandchildren of the...
by Jody | Family, Four-Legged Family, Human Condition
Millie was barely old enough to have a litter. Half Maltese mixed with yorkie and chihuahua, she is tiny and intelligent. We had planned to spay her after the holidays. New Year’s Eve, semi-terminal, ancient Jack found enough of a spark behind his failing heart for...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
I made stew the other night, and as is my habit, cut the carrots up in larger than average pieces. I have always done it this way, so my mother could pick them out. She hated carrots in any form, raw or cooked, but didn’t mind the flavor of them if she...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
It does get cold and rainy in Phoenix — just not often. However, we have been in the middle of record lows and enough precipitation to upset the wild birds that visit our suburban back yard. My daughter and I bought some wild bird seed on sale, and sprinkled...
