The Hellish Handbasket

When times get tough, I queue up the songs that keep me going as I slog through my ongoing pity party. This week my soundtrack is mostly New...

I'm bone-dog weary, but I keep slogging through the days. On the bright side, sunshine! On the dark side, dementia! Life is a balance sh...

Two old ladies sit side-by-side in the smoking area. Sounds like the beginning of a joke, doesn't it? Last night the air was clear, the ...

Last week I realized my mother and I are both in a kind of limbo. We are waiting for the same event to occur: her death. She wants an end. I...

Today I went for a walk around the reservoir before the heat ramped up and the smoky air moved in. The air was warm, the sky was still blue....

A good day is when I get everything done on my list. A great day is when I get everything done plus one. Despite 97°F heat today, I got two ...

I pay attention to current events. Today the world avidly watches the Thai boys' rescue and the World Cup soccer matches. I don't ca...

My mother and her smoking buddy (I forget what name I've given her before ... today, let's call her Jane) are typically desperate to...

Today was a day of glorious sunshine. Tomorrow we return to clouds and rain. It is summer in Portland. We don't tan in Oregon, we rust....

 As I grind my teeth and wait for a chat rep from the phone company to magically fix my billing issue, I thought I could use the time to cat...

One of life's perplexing questions, right up there with why men spit, is how every day, I somehow manage to get a blob of toothpaste on ...

I like to scan my own groceries. Call me a control freak, but I feel empowered when I'm the one moving my broccoli from basket to bag. I...

Yesterday I braved impending wind and rain to slog around the reservoir. It wasn't terribly cold; I had no good excuse to stay home exce...

My sister has been challenging me since she first appeared on the scene as a rival to my position as the only girl in the family hierarchy. ...

Winter came late to Portland this year. As I wait for the snow to melt (again), I crank up the bass on my old New Order CD so I don't ha...

A summons to jury duty arrived in the mail a couple weeks ago. I had no good excuse, so I checked the "count me in" box on the car...

As most of the rest of our beleaguered nation shudders in single digit temperatures, we here in the Pacific Northwest (or as I like to call ...

Merry happy, Blogbots. An inch and a half of snow has shut down the city and trapped me (well, my car) on this hill. What else is there to d...