Sophie's Story

           We have come to the end of another year and some of us will be celebrating the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. Yesterday brought another ending for me and our family, my mother passed away.          Mom and I had a complicated relationship starting in junior high. I was the strange middle child, bookish, shy and socially inept. The only thing I did that pleased her was to make the honor roll consistently.           She hoped that I would go to a liberal arts private college and become a professional writer or become an interpreter. I was of a more practical bent and chose a career that paid well and would allow me to be help people. For many years she made sure to let me know that she did not approve of my career in "the sciences" even though she knew I liked it and was good at it.          That is not what I want to write about though. She was a real...

         It’s Christmas morning. Willow is napping on her pillow. Barnaby is chasing a ball or plotting some sort of mischief. I’m am sitting on the couch in my traditional Christmas pajamas looking at the few decorations I managed to put up this year.       We almost didn’t get a tree this year. Between work schedules and a nasty respiratory virus that hung  on for weeks, we went tree shopping a few days before Christmas Eve. We’ve been getting smaller trees lately so we can set them on a small coffee table. Our hope was that the cats would be unable to drink the tree water, since we’ve learned that is dangerous for the cats.       A few months ago, I had an idea for our tree this year. I thought we should get a Norfolk Island pine. I had one before as a house plant and really liked the look of it. I am pretty sure I can keep one alive. Since it was going to be in a pot, we would not have to worry about cats drinking tree wate...

                     Around the block from our house is a house on the historical register. We've met the the people who live there a few times. They are nice people  as are all the people that live on our block. We've talked in their yard and in our yard. We've never been inside the house. That changed today.                    We had an invitation from them to come and visit last week but were unable to do so. Today we got another invitation to drop by. We had a lot of things we wanted to get done, but we decided this would be the best time for a visit. I put together a plate of cookies and we walked over.                     We were met at the door by Sandy who ushered us into the kitchen. The kitchen was small, neat and clean with a little drop leaf table and two chairs set in the middle. We hung up our co...

           This weekend is cookie baking weekend. Baking cookies to put on plates that we give to people is one of the few things about this season that I enjoy. The reason why I like it so much is because it involves baking, something I have always enjoyed and it means I have to stay home always a bonus for an introvert.          I've been baking holiday treats since I was in junior high. Back then I had a long list of things I would make. Cookies, bars, and mini marshmallows covered in chocolate and coated with coconut. A few times I attempted fudge. I had one really good batch. The rest turned out a bit grainy so I stopped.          Now I make cookies. Last year I made cream cheese mints burning out out my hand mixer in the process. I think I'll pass on those this year. While the selection of cookies may change once thing stays the same. I always make cut out sugar cookies using my grandmother's recipe. T...

            I was told by my mother that my eyes would stabilize after age 40, it's one of the many lies she told me over my life. My eyes have never stabilized and get worse every year. This means that every year, I have to get new glasses. I dislike shopping for glasses as much as I do shopping for clothes. It's a chore to have to pick out new frames yearly. Also somewhat wasteful.          I used to have two sets of frames that I liked and would alternate between the frames. This helped to save money. It would also ensure that I would have a frames that would fit my face. I have a small face, no bridge on my nose and a very heavy prescription.           For some reason that I can't explain, I can't get this done anymore. This means that every year, I have to buy new frames again. I've found a place where I can get frames that are more affordable. The problem is that they don't have a good select...

           Over the years I've noticed that that Thanksgiving is slowly being erased. I started noticing it many years ago when the Christmas music started playing the day after Halloween. To this day hearing the Peanuts theme and It's a Marshmallow World make me want to curl up in a ball and rock back and forth.           I've noticed that Thanksgiving decorations are no longer being displayed. I can understand some of this. Pilgrim and Native American pictures that used to pop up around Thanksgiving time could be considered offensive given the nation's history with Indigenous people. There are plenty of other decorations that would be just fine. Pumpkins, cornucopias and harvest style decorations would certainly be appropriate and not offensive.          Black Friday started creeping up. At first it was the Friday after Thanksgiving. Then it was very early in the morning of the Friday after Thanksgivi...