I saw a poignant sight recently. A little restaurant near our home had converted part of its parking lot to an outdoor eating space. Tables were set and socially distanced. It was about 5:00 p.m. Raindrops started falling on my windshield as I sat watching, waiting at a stoplight. One of the waitstaff started scrambling […]
What do you do if you’re in a band and all the local bars you gig in are closed, and rehearsing is tricky because of social distancing? You play outdoors, of course, which is what happened in our front yard recently. Yes, with the magic of small battery-run amplifiers, my husband Randy created a tiny […]
Has it been months or years since this pandemic set in? I don’t remember. All I know is I haven’t been anywhere in weeks…and weeks…and weeks. During this time, living with my husband, mother, and two grown sons, several shocking truths have come to light… My mom gives an awesome haircut. It’s been 50 years […]
We all took a vow recently in our family – we would avoid grocery stores at all costs. We have several people in our house more susceptible to Covid-19 than others. No problem, we thought. We’ve been using our supermarket’s home delivery system for years. There was one small complication. Everyone else had the same […]
Oh my God. So far we’re doing this. Five family members are living under one roof – Randy and me, my Mom, and our two adult sons, both on temporary “Corona” leave from school jobs. Like many families under lockdown, Team Stone is coping. Most interesting is how everyone’s talents are coming to the […]
It looked so promising in Home Depot. Artificial, but the perfect height, around six feet, and already adorned with white lights and “sparkles.” I won’t even have to decorate this tree, I thought smugly. Had I finally outfoxed Christmas? Anyone who reads this blog knows I have a complicated history with Christmas trees. When […]
My mom is now 89 and you’d be hard-pressed to find a fitter, more adorable, and adroit senior citizen. “I can’t believe her age!” is a line I hear often. And although having sturdy Irish genes never hurt, there are eight non-negotiables in my silver-haired mother’s life, which I believe help her stay fit, […]
We all have that place. The one we return to…maybe every year, maybe every ten. It sustains and restores and comforts us. For me, that place is Cape Cod. The drive over the Sagamore Bridge is more than crossing the Cape Cod Canal. It’s a trip into the past, the present, and even the […]
Hard to believe, almost four years have passed since Dad died. Four winters, springs, summers, and falls have come and gone. He was a good father and we were close. I thought his death would become easier with time, but instead it gets harder. Numbness eventually turned to grief, but each time I think of […]
They still haunt me. I catch glimpses of large Christmas firs in other people’s living rooms, aglow with lights and shiny ornaments. I picture wreaths and bows and poinsettias and give a sigh. That’s what my living room used to look like. But time moved on and our family has gone through three distinct […]
