Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Marriage, Family, Dogs, and Cat
100 Posts and One Little Girl
Every Saturday we take our 6-year old granddaughter to a Rec Department ballet class in a nearby high school. The class meets in a room used by the special ed program; every week, there are new questions written on the board. “What will you… Continue Reading “100 Posts and One Little Girl”
Dare Double Dare
This piece is written in response to a Write on Edge writing prompt to start with the sentence, “His crossed arms answered her question before she spoke.” 450 word limit with a focus on dialogue and body language. This was painfully difficult since I… Continue Reading “Dare Double Dare”
Prepare a Place For Me
There was only one reason why my father would be calling me. My mother must be dead. He explained how it happened, how just last week he had given up taking care of her at home, that for the third time, she’d gone limp… Continue Reading “Prepare a Place For Me”
Blue Eyes
I went shopping with my rat today. The six people who read my series Say It Ain’t So:Rats in the Basement might remember that I referred to my older son as my rat because he can survive anything (including me). I said before and… Continue Reading “Blue Eyes”
Head Case
Every time there’s a hit and run accident that’s on the news, I think it involved one of my sons. Not as the person hurt but as the driver. It’s not until I get the make and model of the car that I start… Continue Reading “Head Case”
Stay at Home Mom? Really?
Wow — there are a lot of women who stay home with their kids. I know this because I saw about 10,000 of them at the Milwaukee County Zoo today, half of them pushing aircraft carrier strollers that double as food trucks for tots.… Continue Reading “Stay at Home Mom? Really?”
Things My Mother Taught Me — Partly on Purpose
My mother taught me many things she didn’t know she as teaching me and probably had no intention of teaching me. She also tried to teach me things I had no interest or ability to learn. This is suggestive of a lot of crossed wires… Continue Reading “Things My Mother Taught Me — Partly on Purpose”
Couldn’t Be Luckier
I’ve told this story a thousand times. My husband and I got engaged (so to speak) on February 21st and married a week later on February 28th (it would have been the same day had we lived in Las Vegas instead of Milwauke) all on a dare, double dare. A decision one-upped by one of my kids who got engaged and married within 24 hours by figuring out how to speed things up by going to Rockford, IL. Ok, so Illinois is good at something.
Anyway, this is only interesting, maybe, because we’ve been married for 28 years. If it had only lasted a year, everyone would have said, “See what happens when you rush into things!”
Say It Ain’t So – Rats in the Basement: Part 3
Why Nelson? Don’t take this the wrong way. But he’s my rat. You know how they say that only the rats and cockroaches would survive in a nuclear holocaust. Yeah, well, my son would be right there with them, making a sandwich and watching… Continue Reading “Say It Ain’t So – Rats in the Basement: Part 3”
Say It Ain’t So – Rats in the Basement: Part 2
Things got worse before they got better. The next day, the Batzner truck pulled up in front of the house. The driver got out and put on his sandwich sign which said in 2 ft tall letters: THERE ARE RATS IN THIS HOUSE. RIGHT HERE. … Continue Reading “Say It Ain’t So – Rats in the Basement: Part 2”
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
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