67 1 Before Grandpa died when I was nine, I often visited my grandparent’s farm where Dad had been raised. I lived with my parents and brother in Mexico, Missouri, 12,000 inhabitants, Audrain County seat with an
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103 6 I don’t cook as much as I used to. It’s a shame, since I spent years perfecting healthy vegetarian recipes for my family and posting recipes for nutrition clients on my website. It’s less interesting to
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246 8 3 As soon as you begin to ask the question, Who loves me? You are completely screwed, Because the next question is How Much?… ~Tony Hoagland, “The Loneliest Job in the World” And after that,
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51 I sit with others at a long table, six with notebooks and one with a laptop. We’ve come together to write. Some are beginners; some have a lifetime of writing behind them. All want to explore
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72 It was only a little flu. After Thanksgiving break, Vic’s students often returned to campus with international viruses. His flu shot wasn’t effective, even though mine was. Just the luck of the draw. Symptoms weren’t severe—runny
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79 The day after Liz and David’s wedding, we cleaned-up, congratulated ourselves about how well everything had gone, and played a few rounds of disc golf. (I provided comic relief for the real players.) Monday morning, Lauren
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80 Three-year-old David snuggled on our friend Jeanne Astor’s lap in an Ithaca clothing store. “What’s your daddy like?” a saucy saleswoman asked curly-topped David. “My daddy’s tough as nails,” David said with all the bravado he
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26 I jump in my car, pull out of my driveway, and speed uphill—the direct route to town. At the top of the hill, the road is torn up and blocked. A relaxed, slow-paced country guy on
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116 We wake up to blue skies, our weather prayers answered. Friends arrive to do the set-up postponed by yesterday’s storm. Men roll up the sides of the reception tent to air out the sandy soil and
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56 2 The morning before David and Liz’s wedding, Tropical Storm Andrea dumps six inches of rain on northeastern North Carolina. Water floods the drainage ditch, pours over the driveway, pounds the oak trees, and pools under
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