There always seems to be a glass of water on the kitchen table. No one’s really sure whose it is. It’s usually by the window, the sun’s activity reflected on its surface. Following its initial, distracted placement on the table, no one really takes another sip from it. Tiny bubbles form, signaling days-old neglect. An […]

For lifelong New Yorkers, moving to Maine was not as easy for my husband and me as we had expected. The cold weather and icy roads were a bit challenging, and the fact that stores shut their doors by 9 o’clock made evening shopping impossible. I could only imagine that anywhere farther north than Portland […]

Twenty-two years ago I took a course on climate science and I really started to worry. I was thinking maybe our climate would change enough someday that this could mess up food production and wreck our economy. Now, our sons were small at the time, and you know how young parents are, always worrying about […]

‘Oh, come on,” she said. “You know how to drive. You just don’t have your license yet.” I wasn’t particularly anxious to get my license, but I had my permit. One day after school Debbie had her mother’s car, which was a brand-new dark-green Cadillac, the envy of all our friends. We were “riding around […]

I’m never the person who is in the right place at the right time. However, on a cold New Hampshire afternoon in 2007 I found myself front and center on a rope line. This coveted position would not only guarantee me a place in a photo in tomorrow’s newspaper but maybe even a kiss on […]

When I turned 30, I suddenly longed to learn ballet. Though I could hardly walk down a flight of stairs without stumbling, I imagined leaping like a gazelle. I usually avoided exercise, but now the idea of stretching until I ached appealed. I tried to ignore the urge, but my desire persisted, acute as my […]

I have a temper. I was born with it, like my blue eyes and the little space between my teeth. When I’m angry, I talk very fast and loud. So loud. My husband once remarked that arguing with me was like arguing with a buzz saw. But I have boundaries, long-standing and unbreakable. They were […]