In our family, we celebrate any holiday that involves presents and candy. Gotta say I truly appreciate that about my mom. She made sure we had traditions and celebrations and good memories. I think that’s why I love fall so much. It would start with the Ventura County Fair that used to be in late… More Lyman and Charlene Smith’s Secret Christmas Wedding, December 12, 1975
My family isn’t really into funerals. Thankfully, I’ve been to very few in my life but the one I remember the most was my grandmother’s brother. They called him “Unc” (short for uncle) and he was the mischief-maker. The one who would steal the fudge frosting my mom would take off her cupcake and try… More Lyman and Charlene Smith’s Funeral | What I Remember
My grandmother’s piano sat in our front room. It’s dark cherry and well-worn and every Smith kid had to take piano lessons. I wasn’t that great at playing conventionally, but I was good at playing a song by ear. I could read music and loved all things Billy Joel and Elton John. I aspired to… More The Day We Learned My Dad and Charlene Were Dead
Today’s blog is strictly personal. Last weekend, we made a mistake. We accidentally forgot to open the door to our chicken roost so the chickens had to sleep in the coop without the protection of the roost. Around 3am, I heard a horrible noise. I cannot say enough about how horrible that noise was. I… More Chicken Little: The Night the Sky Fell
It’s Mother’s Day and my kid has been sick all weekend so I really didn’t get a chance to pull anything together for my mom. Somehow she snuck a bear claw into the house yesterday so my daughter, coughing and gasping, still managed to surprise me with breakfast in bed (said bear claw and a… More Cyber Gramma: Why I Still Need My Mom in a High Tech World