We are having the bathroom painted.  Bathroom painting was one maintenance chore that as renters we had tried before. Our landlady had refused to be responsible when the … more

The last couple of months I have attempted to organize things. In general, this is not a good idea—a truth I had, in my amazingly deluded self-confidence, completely … more

Movie theater. Lights off, screen dark. Surround sound rises.  more

“Not now,” I scolded my intestines. “Bad timing.” more

“Welcome to The Living Women’s Shopping, Shopping, Shopping and Beauty All the Time Network’s episode of ‘Replenish and Rejuvenate,’ with your hosts, Vera and Aloe.” more

“Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen classic about five sisters out to nab husbands… the better to produce an heir to save the family farm.” more

Like many of my things, my house is a franken-house, patched together from disparate and not-always-compatible parts. The kitchen and first floor bedroom (a courtesy title bestowed by the selling real estate agent on a mud room) are a portion of the original 1880s house, some of which collapsed about 70 years ago. more

After reading the anti-ebike Atlantic magazine article, titled “Ebikes are Monstrous!” I dashed downstairs to my garage, but—whew! more

Back when I was commuting, on the way to work one day someone stepped on the back of my shoe. I had to stop and bend down to slip my foot back in, which in the stampede of people getting off the Staten Island Ferry at rush hour is a hazardous maneuver. more

I’m scared of scrapple. more

Sparky the drone dipped lower over the tree, its low-battery alarm and lights beeping frantically as I tried desperately to steer it out of the woods and onto the lawn. I was scrambling through the muck, trying to keep it in sight, and my foot got sucked into one of the many gloppy pits which make up my backyard. Then Sparky crashed into the branches, bounced a bit farther down. and then stopped. About 50 feet up.  more

Before I could leave it behind forever, I had to squeeze whatever money I could from New York.   After 20 years at home and half a philosophy M.A., a year of  pavement pounding … more

Recently, while noticing my feet in the bathtub, I realized it has been decades since I had overheard indirect meant-to-be-overheard comments on my appearance as I walked by. Things like “I … more

Twenty-five years ago, on a very tight budget, we brought the kids to the Shawangunk Mountains to climb and romp. The bargain motel we stayed in would have been a great setting for a creepy … more

My algorithms haven’t learned as much about me as they think. I would have assumed relocating to a very different environment—from major city to major country—would have made … more

This time last year, my husband, Mark, and I were finalizing our move here, hoping we would not be taken for COVID-19 refugees, since we had decided to retire here before the epidemic began. … more

To reach the Delaware River from our house in Equinunk, PA we can take either of two routes. One has infinite potholes and 28 twists before we reach the river. The other is a slightly less crumbling … more