Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: granddaughter
The Melancholy of Sunday Night
It starts around 5:00. Before that, the day has hope. At 5:00, hope evaporates into little clouds of resignation that then gather and form a storm cloud of dread. It’s as if someone has given me a pill timed to dampen my mood and… Continue Reading “The Melancholy of Sunday Night”
Now I Know
A few years ago, we took our granddaughter camping. It rained all night, thundered with lightening strikes, and in the morning everything was soaked but the day was bright and clear. We went hiking up a trail to a lookout where we could see… Continue Reading “Now I Know”
Reach Back
The grandmother gig can be a tough one. You can be in the presence of a grandchild who clearly needs a mother more than a grandmother and though you know very well how to be a mother, you can’t be that child’s mother. She… Continue Reading “Reach Back”
Playing the Long Game
For all my brave talk, all my “I’m really Stevie Nicks” under these black dress pants and sensible shoes, for all my aging is a joyous, beautiful thing, a lucky thing, priceless if you take it in the right way, all my advice to… Continue Reading “Playing the Long Game”
The Melancholy of Sunday Night
It starts around 5:00. Before that, the day has hope. At 5:00, hope evaporates into little clouds of resignation that then gather and form a storm cloud of dread. It’s as if someone has given me a pill timed to dampen my mood and… Continue Reading “The Melancholy of Sunday Night”
The Melancholy of Sunday Night
It starts around 5:00. Before that, the day has hope. At 5:00, hope evaporates into little clouds of resignation that then gather and form a storm cloud of dread. It’s as if someone has given me a pill timed to dampen my mood and… Continue Reading “The Melancholy of Sunday Night”
Two Weeks at Big Girl Camp
What do you learn at Big Girl Camp? What’s the essence of being a big girl? My younger granddaughter has been having a hard time being 6. She complains that all the grown-ups treat her like a baby. She often encourages this by bursting… Continue Reading “Two Weeks at Big Girl Camp”
The Unbelievable Reality of the Pit Toilet
The pit toilet saves people the indignity of scrambling through the forest, burrowing into the brush, risking poison ivy of the ass, and the heart-stopping appearance of a woodland creature to do something that ordinarily requires about a 10-second walk down the hall. It’s… Continue Reading “The Unbelievable Reality of the Pit Toilet”
Worked for Peter Pan, It Could Work for You
My six-year old granddaughter is in this phase where she can go from zero to very deep thought in 30 seconds. Happily helping Ms. Bunny organize her refrigerator, she looked up, teared up, and said, “Nana, I don’t want to grow up. I’m scared… Continue Reading “Worked for Peter Pan, It Could Work for You”
Start Where You Are, Use What You Have: Involving Dads in their Kids’ Lives
This is week 2 of my little campaign to figure out ways to make my son have fun with his daughter. Last week it was sledding. Today, skating. Don’t bother me with “you shouldn’t have to do that.” I shouldn’t. But I do. And I am. So… Continue Reading “Start Where You Are, Use What You Have: Involving Dads in their Kids’ Lives”
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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