Mama Says #13

Bugs. Who needs them, at least inside the house? Especially not in the silverware drawer. My mom had an infestation of some sort. The exterminator came and took care of things, and she was in the phase of “Let me know if you see any more.” Well, she did see a few. Her...

Mama Says #12:

In south Florida in the middle of August, it’s hot. It’s hot in the morning, it’s hot in the afternoon, it’s hot in the evening. Overnight it cools down to what we call hot in Colorado. People don’t tend to sit around outside. Late one evening during my visit, Mom...

Mama Says #11

My mom named her dog “Tagalong,” Tag for short, because since the moment she adopted him he has had trouble differentiating himself from her. Wherever she is, that’s where Tag is. Actually, he’s gotten a little bossy about telling her where she is supposed to be. He...

Mama Says #10

My family roots are in the Chicago area. My mom has lived other places as well, but most of them involved cold winters. A couple of years ago, facing the onset of about her fiftieth Chicago December, she’d had enough and moved to Florida. She lives a leisurely,...

Mama Says #9

I spent three weeks with my mom in the middle of the summer, but I took my work with me. “Have laptop, will write” and all that. When I’m wrapped up in a story, I can get pretty driven. One evening my mother said, “You should quit. You’ve been working all day.”...