Last week, on the same day that several kids at my older daughter’s Wisconsin soccer camp were ill from heat exhaustion, I had a phone call with my stepmother in California, where the Dixie fire had been spreading. Though it wasn’t yet close to where she and my father...
After consuming the last slice of peanut butter chocolate ganache pie on Thanksgiving weekend, I felt full. But the strange emptiness of this pandemic holiday season lingered. While connecting with my extended family over Zoom was fun, the experience was a stark reminder of the vast physical space between...
A few days ago, I went grocery shopping. On the surface, nothing went wrong. I got my bananas, eggs, the requisite sugary snacks. A bottle of decent-looking Pinot Noir. The store was about to close for the evening, so I often had the aisle to myself. Avoiding the occasional...
My husband was picking up takeout last night. He was surprised to see that the restaurant was packed and no one appeared to be concerned about social distancing. COVID-19 cases are exploding in our state, but that hasn’t deterred us from partying, apparently. In the meantime, we’re still waiting...
One morning in the not-so-distant past, I went for a run. A thick blanket of fog hung in the air, obscuring all but the few yards directly in front of me. I ran a familiar course, fixing my gaze ahead for any oncoming cars. Every so often, I’d make...
