Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: relationships
Fly Like an Eagle
Friends can really queer your deal. You think you’re all competent and able and a friend comes along and starts feeling sorry for you for whatever reason, obvious or not, and you become a six-year old looking for a big hand to hold crossing… Continue Reading “Fly Like an Eagle”
Yesterday at Target with Joe
We go to Target. It is what we do. My adult son who works practically all the time and rarely shows up for a planned dinner or excursion because he gets called in at the last minute to cover someone’s shift at the gym… Continue Reading “Yesterday at Target with Joe”
A Handful of Lemons: Seven Things I’ve Learned So Far in 2019
Your kids go back to the places you took them years ago but the places aren’t as special as they remember. They’re worn out, faded, smaller than their recollections and they are disappointed. You’re not surprised. No place keeps the glow it had when… Continue Reading “A Handful of Lemons: Seven Things I’ve Learned So Far in 2019”
Pet Lessons
When our dog Minnie has a seizure, she struggles to stay standing but her back legs give way, then her front legs splay and also give way until she is lying on the floor like she is grabbing the carpet to keep from falling.… Continue Reading “Pet Lessons”
Bedtime
When my husband is gone I sleep on his side of the bed Further from the door As if the extra distance would Deter an intruder’s violence More than the baseball bat Tucked behind the radiator That my husband believes will Fend off a… Continue Reading “Bedtime”
How Do People Fall in Love?
So much for making a lifetime commitment based on how a guy looks in jeans. The 36 Questions hubbub is making me wonder how I could have been so shallow as if a single garment should have such predictive value. Worse is that jeans… Continue Reading “How Do People Fall in Love?”
Two Days Married
It took only two days to know it was a mistake. It takes years for some people. And then the realization comes only after much analysis and backtracking, bundles of tapes that get spliced and replayed until the boredom of it all chases one… Continue Reading “Two Days Married”
Replacement Parts
“Who are you? What are you doing here?” “I’m looking after Bob. Who are you? “I’m Bob’s wife. Bob’s my husband. Why are you here in the ICU? Who let you in?” “Bob did, honey. I met him in the elevator last week and… Continue Reading “Replacement Parts”
What Mother Thinks
“She has the face of a goat.” “Isn’t that a little unkind? You know, she has a quite beautiful spirit.” “Just make sure she wears a turtleneck and a very large hat if you ever take her anywhere important. Maybe a scarf. That is,… Continue Reading “What Mother Thinks”
Tap, Tap, Tap
Tap, tap, tap. I pull the blanket tighter around my shoulders. Tap, tap, tap. The house is silent now, the whispered screaming over. Tap, tap, tap. He’s sorry now that he scared me. Tap, tap, tap. Do the downstairs neighbors know that he is lying… Continue Reading “Tap, Tap, Tap”
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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