Category Archives: Caring for parents

The purge

Posted on October 2, 2016 by

I have been purging my house of clothing, books, junk, and rubbish. The purge commenced after my mother’s death in February 2016. I felt the need to bag up her belongings and donate them to charity. I could not be … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring for parents, Death, memories, Mothers, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

More than what I have spent

Posted on August 13, 2016 by

Yesterday I bought a cemetery plaque for my mother’s grave.  The inscription will read, “Loving mother, kind soul, and free spirit.”  My brother came up with “free spirit” because my mother lived life on her terms. She was separated and … Continue reading →

Posted in Caring for parents, Mothers, Parents, The 1960s, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

What Do I Have in Me?

Posted on February 8, 2015 by

Mia is my little 8-pound cat who I adopted, along with her son, Timmy, in 2011. From the start, it was clear that Timmy was the outgoing, affectionate animal, curling up on my chest, leaning his backside against my neck, … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for parents, Cats, Cooking, Food | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mother’s Day 2014 – I don’t remember writing this

Posted on September 20, 2014 by

Apparently, I wrote this in the spring, but I just stumbled upon it in my files. I don’t remember having written the piece, though parts of it are familiar when I read it.  I think I decided against posting it … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for parents, Memoirs, Mothers, Parents, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

This week’s Post: A few notes about trying to write about my dad

Posted on August 26, 2014 by

I am thinking of writing an essay about my dad that digs deep into my memory of what was good about him, in addition to the usual stories I tell about what was not so great about him. Below are … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for parents, Parents, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Renewal and Re-invention of…yourself

Posted on January 6, 2013 by

I am learning about ways to renew and reinvent myself. Although I can’t go into details, several years ago, it was imperative that I reinvent myself at work – and I did. I now have a great job and work … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for parents, Cats, Mothers, Parents, Solstice MFA Pine Manor College, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Water Bottles – A Monologue

Posted on July 29, 2012 by

  This is the monologue I worked on last week at the TMI Women’s Weekend Retreat. It’s by no means perfect either as a monologue or as anything else, but then again, this blog is named, “The Early Draft.”  You … Continue reading →

Posted in Aging, Caring for parents, Embarrassing Moments, Mothers, Reading Out Loud, Uncategorized, Writing Retreats | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments