Midwestern Mama Cooking up Life in the Heartland
A quora of hermit crabs sunned on the beach. One crab boasted of his new too-large shell, “It is the biggest, the shiniest, the best!” A squadron of seagulls noticed and dove beachward. All the crabs in small shells scuttled away, but the crab with the too-large shell could not escape. Moral: Do not boast … Read more
This anecdote illustrates what happens when I’ve been on vacation too long. I tried and experiment on my hair last night. Nothing permanent or deliberately outrageous. I was inspired by Mrs. Maisel from “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to set my hair before going to bed. Yes, like an old lady. My hair is currently in … Read more
It is hard to forget where I was when the bells started clanging: in the village market, a basket of potatoes over my arm, Gerda’s small hand hiding in mine. At the first ring, all movement stopped. As the bells rang louder and louder, pealing from one steeple to the next, everyone came out into … Read more
On the windowpane, feathered frost dances in a curl; Across town, the train whistle sounds one lonely note. I burrow further, my pajamas sliding on sheets of satin. The snow is freshly fallen, smooth and glistening satin. Mrs. Glenn’s wood stove puffs a smoky curl. Of these small details, I take note. To … Read more
On the first day of break, your children are scheduled to go celebrate the holidays with their father, so you are both child-free and using-or-losing your vacation days. You wake and usher the children out of the van to their schools with a cheerful, “See you on Christmas Day! Have fun with your cousins! I … Read more
“I used to dream of being a princess,” my grandmother exhaled. I looked up from my book. “Grandmother! You’re awake!” She smiled gently and patted the ever-widening space on the bed next to her thigh. I tucked my bookmark into my spot, set the book on the uncomfortable chair, and gently lowered myself onto her … Read more
He throws his head back in annoyance, grumbling, “Mom! You don’t understand the question!” Then he huffs as he drops his head forward, a tidal wave of blonde covers his face. This is his defense. He has asked for help with a project, but has put it off until it is almost too late to … Read more
I kill plants. I don’t intend to, but they just don’t demand enough of my attention to actually care for them. I realize that sounds awful. And I’m unapologetic about it. I forget to water them; I over water them. I don’t give them plant food. I don’t move them with the seasonal light. I … Read more
“All right, class. I think you’ll find this next example very interesting.” Master Phenna waved the next planet into the projection. “This is Earth. It really is quite unusual.” Several of us shifted in our seats; this lecture was dragging a bit and I just don’t have the appetite for ancient civilizations. But next to … Read more
I leaned back, my forearms resting on the lumpy picnic table as Josie peeled an orange, liberating its bright fragrance from the rind with her dirty fingernails. “Your parents are really making you move, huh?” I squinted across the park to her house with its “Sold” sign screaming in the lawn. “Yeah.” She pried apart … Read more