Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Family
The Scary People are Coming to Dinner
The part about extending invitations to dinner is luscious.”Oh, you really must come, see our new kitchen.” Head toss, wave. The best feeling ever is when the event itself is a long ways off, a beautiful feast on the horizon, everyone well-coiffed, pleasant, and… Continue Reading “The Scary People are Coming to Dinner”
Caked Out
Nobody would believe I made a cake, a layer cake no less, for which I had to buy new round cake pans since it’s been decades since I baked a layer cake or really any cake for that matter, but I felt compelled because… Continue Reading “Caked Out”
Keepsakes Gonna Keep
I dumped about forty years of work in the garbage bin yesterday. Research reports, community plans, funding proposals, evaluations, some of them with some pretty great graphics and spiffy spiral binding. Writing that just now I had a twinge. I’d run out and retrieve… Continue Reading “Keepsakes Gonna Keep”
The Sound of Things Falling
There was a crash. And then the discovery of a large picture fallen to the foyer floor and glass everywhere. That’s the second picture to fall off the wall in as many days. This one was a big, framed poster from a museum in… Continue Reading “The Sound of Things Falling”
Precious Enough for Everyone
What Christmas Eve tells us is to take a breath. Wrap all the presents and figure out the meals and then take a breath. Decide that whatever you are giving and whatever you are cooking are enough. Your offerings are precious enough for everyone.… Continue Reading “Precious Enough for Everyone”
Embroidering in the Well
I don’t know much about the year I was born but I know that it didn’t go well. My mother stayed in the hospital for six weeks after I was born. I was sent home to be cared for by my grandmother. There was… Continue Reading “Embroidering in the Well”
Christmas Eve at the Five and Dime
How much longer is he going to stay open, she wondered. It was already after seven and they’d opened at 9 that morning, Christmas Eve Day. Probably the biggest shopping day of the year at their Ben Franklin Store. Sometimes she thought her dad… Continue Reading “Christmas Eve at the Five and Dime”
On the Fourth Night, There was Dinner
Tonight was the fourth night of Hanukkah. We haven’t lit any candles until tonight when we had our kids and a dear friend over for latkes. We weren’t exactly beaten down by the world’s goings-on but not inspired either. The first three nights of… Continue Reading “On the Fourth Night, There was Dinner”
A Reflection on the Reiners
I’ve been thinking a lot about Rob Reiner and his wife. Somewhere on social media, I read that they had been dreading for years the worst that could happen with their son. And I don’t know this to be true but I’m betting that… Continue Reading “A Reflection on the Reiners”
Saying Yes When No Would Be Easier
I’m teaching my grandson to drive. This is a new experience. We just finished either the fourth or fifth ‘lesson.’ All went well. Today, we drove a fair amount and then we went through the checklist that the driving test people ask – do… Continue Reading “Saying Yes When No Would Be Easier”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
Recent Comments