Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: dailyprompt
When I am 85
In ten years, I will pose nude for the first time,play tennis with Billie Jean King using my wood racket from high school,tattoo my left arm with roses and depictions of my victories, bits of poems written for me,I will paint the side of… Continue Reading “When I am 85”
The Lifelong Gift of Typing Class
High school was a vast sea of uncomfortableness. Every day a variation on that theme. Always a part of me off, the limits of my wardrobe a burden I felt every ten days as I waited to wear the teal skirt and sweater set… Continue Reading “The Lifelong Gift of Typing Class”
Old + Woman = Need for Sharper Elbows
It’s a double whammy. Being old – as in significantly old – and being a woman. You might as well have the word irrelevant tattooed across your forehead. Don’t pay any attention to me, your face says. I might have been smart as a… Continue Reading “Old + Woman = Need for Sharper Elbows”
Eight Ways to Make Milwaukee Better
Here’s my list: I’d put charging stations everywhere so a guy with a dead phone living in the ravine in the park down the street can charge his phone and find out whether he got the job or not. I’d make the Walk phase… Continue Reading “Eight Ways to Make Milwaukee Better”
She Never Liked Pink: My Mother’s Perfection
This was my mother in 1938. The picture was taken at Niagara Falls. She was on her honeymoon, delayed several months while she and my dad gathered their resources. They kept track of their expenses in a small black notebook, noting every gas purchase,… Continue Reading “She Never Liked Pink: My Mother’s Perfection”
No Lizards or Rodents, Please
I once had a chameleon named after me. Janice. She was my daughter’s pet. Not beloved but liked well enough. Janice lived in my daughter’s bedroom on the third floor. Frequently, during the winter, my daughter complained heartily about how cold it was in… Continue Reading “No Lizards or Rodents, Please”
Sharp Yellow Ducks in a Row
Sharpen more pencils. I don’t yearn to sharpen pencils every day, just some days, especially the days before big meetings, complicated situations on the horizon. I like having my pencils sharpened, my chewed yellow ducks in a row. I chew pencils during meetings because… Continue Reading “Sharp Yellow Ducks in a Row”
The Penny on the Pavement
Tradition. That’s what my husband said when I asked him for one word to describe me. Earlier in our walk, I asked him what one word would describe him and he said “sleepy.” I asked him more about the reason for choosing tradition as… Continue Reading “The Penny on the Pavement”
Confidence: You Are Who You Pretend to Be
Who appears to be the most confident person you know might be a better way to ask this question. A person who can make a speech before a thousand people might struggle striking up a conversation at the bar. A person who can run… Continue Reading “Confidence: You Are Who You Pretend to Be”
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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