Like genetic pool, same environment My brother and his wife said they would bring Christmas Day dinner. They brought meatballs and mashed potatoes to refrigerate overnight. I had prepared meatballs and mashed potatoes for Christmas Eve. I rarely make meatballs, … Read More
Coming into age in a horror show Stranger Things has released the latest episodes of the mash-up coming-of-age 80’s nostalgia (my god, yes, that’s a thing), horror movie, gang hang together, good vs. evil series. I’ve become a fan, with too … Read More
The Highs and Lows of Holidays Throughout the Years Last year, we had no Thanksgiving celebration. My daughter-in-law was to give birth any day. The baby was scheduled to be induced the day after Thanksgiving, if nothing had happened. We … Read More
Failing the Mini-COG Test The mini-COG test that the American president has bragged about acing is a screening test for referral to neurological testing. I told the nurse that if the president could pass it, it would be no problem … Read More
Although she never married… Sharon Johnson 3 min read · Oct 18, 2025 Diane Keaton was a visual presence from my 20s to my 70s, her Annie Hall-inspired look a reference point. I had moved to New York City from … Read More
Later in life, realizations Yesterday I went to Sauvie Island, at the intersection of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. The marine layer nestled above the landscape until noon, when the sun got warm enough to burn off the clouds, moist … Read More
When the Art is Memorable but the Actions Are Despicable Is there a celebrity (musician, writer, actor, artist,…) whose work you like, but whom you boycott because of his/her ideology/beliefs/preferences? The question is one of great importance in these times. … Read More
The wit and wisdom offered by great artists August Wilson proclaimed the centuries old matriarch, Aunt Ester, his most significant character. Her presence incarnates a key Wilson idea: The need for African Americans to move forward into the future through embracing … Read More
When is an exploration of the personal exploitative? When is it clear? Joan Didion wields outsized influence even now, several years after her death. Her most recent book, Notes to John, her husband, was just published. The book details the conversations … Read More
Maybe you won’t know your happiness until old age Ocean Vuong’s interview was searing. His words were skinless. His answers to the interviewer’s questions were as if he had wrestled an angel or two to get them, and maybe he … Read More