One of the dubious benefits of having a Facebook account is to connect with people from my past. Of course, if I cared about any of these people they would be a part of my present, not my past, but that’s another story. Thanks to Facebook, I have become reacquainted with old friends I had […]
My family is overwrought and excitable. This was proved, once again, at a recent dinner at my sister’s house when one of the kids innocently dropped a half of an Oreo on the floor, at which point it was immediately vacuumed up. The vacuum in question was, Tony, my sister’s lovable doofus of a golden
That Candy is Toast Read More »
The first time I met my partner’s mother was on St Patrick’s Day. She is not Irish, but she made me a traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner: Boiled beef with boiled cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Because she is a WASP and terrified of spices, she rinsed the corn beef in the sink before she
My upscale, gentrified Fort Lauderdale neighbors pride themselves on taking good care of things. They take good care of their homes and their cars and their kids and their elderly parents and, of course, their pets. They like to look good and many of my neighbors, like their homes, have “had some work done.”
Tiptoeing Through the Gene Pool Read More »
This has been an abnormally cold winter in South Florida, and 50 years from now old timers will be telling their grandkids about the time it was so cold the iguanas were falling out of the trees.
Like many Catholic schoolchildren I was obsessed with visions of Heaven and Hell so at the tender age of 9 I decided I would become a priest. I was encouraged in my goal by Sister Ludmilla who solemnly convinced me that only priests and nuns were guaranteed a spot in heaven.
The little tree stood in the middle of our backyard. Towards the end of summer it was resplendent with smallish yellow fruits which we had been warned not to touch. Our ancient neighbor, Mrs. Murphy, told my mother in no uncertain terms that those little fruits contained a poison most virulent that could kill young
The Poisonberry Tree Read More »
My middle sister was the wild one in the family. While a student at conservative, catholic Cardinal Gibbons High she hung out with the trashy public school kids. My parents worried because her new friends were girls who wore too much makeup and smoked and drank. They hung around with older boys who slicked back
I was reading a classified ad for a home for sale in Coral Ridge; while extolling the virtues of a neighborhood dignified by manicured lawns and mature trees the ad mentioned that the home was in the “prestigious Bayview School district.” Some things never change. Well over 40 years ago when my parents bought a
