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Happiness Horses War and Peace

Dear Santa

Dear Santa I’d like a pony this year, and world peace for Bob, please. Again, I know. It seems silly to ask for the same things every year, but old habits are hard to break. Both Bob and I were very well behaved this year. We didn’t fight much, we kept the house clean, and […]

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Books Family On Winter Our Life

Post Publication Depression

“It’s probably just winter”, I think, slogging through sleet and slush from the car to our back door. I’m suffering from malaise, and looking for something to blame. Lately, I find myself just going through the motions. I don’t feel like starting anything, and I really don’t want to finish anything, either. My brother Michael […]

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Community Observations Recurring Epiphanies

Manifesto To My Peeps

I love this place, and all of you. I love lazy mornings in bed with Bob, and I love my job keeping an eye on things at The Plant. I love walking in Tami and Lyle’s woods, and over to your houses for meetings and parties. I love potluck, when we all bring something to […]

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Family

My Old Man

My father is a complex human being. He is funny and cynical, educated, Spartan in his habits, short-tempered, and transfixed by Nazi Germany. At 91, he still ambulates without walker or cane, fixes his own meals, and sleeps a lot. I’m not sure he can still read, although he pretends his eyesight is fine. I […]

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Community Happiness Observations

The Seven C’s of Community

“C” words continually pop up in conversations about community; they circle my brain when I’m falling asleep, and dance in my mind before dawn. I’m awash in C’s! So, I decided to pick seven (my lucky number) and talk about what they mean to me. First off, there’s Conflict. I want to believe conflict should […]