Make America Nice Again
This aired on Tri States Public Radio March 21, 2019 LISTEN HERE The 2020 presidential campaign has begun and with it the Democratic candidates are descending upon Iowa. Flying in from all parts of the country, they are bringing with them the promise of new ideas, new policies, and, god willing, a new administration. […]
Luke Perry, I Knew You When
Former “90210” Publicist Remembers the TV Star Luke Perry, aka Dylan McKay, in 1990 When I heard Luke Perry had had a stroke, I expected him to live. That’s because a friend of mine recently had a stroke, his second one, at age 56 and he is recovering. My friend, like Luke, is fit and […]
Marking Myself ‘Happy’ During the Polar Vortex
It’s 3 degrees outside and dropping. They’re calling this the Polar Vortex, the Arctic Blast, or maybe it’s just Hell Freezing Over. News reports say that Midwest temperatures will be the lowest they’ve been in a generation, that it will be colder in Chicago than in Antarctica. To think I could be in Florida right […]
Plogging is the New Jogging
This essay originally aired as a commentary on Tri States Public Radio (Macomb, Illinois) LISTEN TO IT HERE Sticking to my New Year’s resolution to exercise more and spend more time outdoors, I’ve been doing a weekly Sunday morning hike with two other girlfriends. Near Farmington, Iowa, we discovered miles of trails through Shimek State […]
For the Love — and Grief — of Goats
Mr. Friendly, Mamacita & Chaps asking, “Yo! Where’s our breakfast?” Three weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, I went out to the barn, as I do every morning, to feed the goats. The three of them—Mamacita, Mr. Friendly and Chaps—are normally waiting at the gate, having already been staring at the house with anticipation upon […]
Dark Pie and Other Adorable, Wacky Music Videos
Here’s something I stumbled upon one day while going down an internet rabbit hole. These whimsical songs/cartoons made me smile and laugh, and since we could all use a little — no, a LOT — more smiling and laughing these days, I wanted to share it. Enjoy! Dark Pie I Jump on Cake To see […]
Celebrating Oktoberfest with my Book Launch!
Check this out! It’s a #1 New Release!! It’s here! Hausfrau Honeymoon: Love, Language, and Other Misadventures is now out and released into the world. It’s been a bittersweet launch for several reasons: the first is that the book is (once again) centered around Marcus. I wrote it while we were living in Germany and […]
Radio Commentary: An Outlet for Dealing with Overwhelming Issues
Over the past few years I have occasionally written commentaries for Tri States Public Radio, but only when an issue bothered me so badly I was compelled to weigh in on it. Apparently listeners appreciate the positive messages I try to convey as I was invited to contribute more commentaries, but this time I was […]
My Next Book, HAUSFRAU HONEYMOON, is Coming Soon
In June, after logging several months of marathon hours at my computer, I finished my manuscript for my American Gothic House memoir. (It really was like running a marathon!) I submitted it to a big-five publisher who had asked to see it, which in itself was a kind of thrill. Once I hit the send […]
The Day I Thought I Had Cancer
The night before my annual mammogram I was thinking about canceling my appointment. Did I want to be bothered with a trip to the hospital—50 minutes away—to have my boobs squished between two plates and hit with a dose of radiation? No. Did I have any history of breast cancer in my family? No. My […]