I ran the Charm City Reptile and Amphibian Rescue for 14 years (no longer in operation). Here is a story about one of the rescues, a green iguana. The phone rang One Sunday, I received a call from a police officer. My volunteers and I were cleaning cages at my […]
It was supposed to beA short errand that day.But it turned into a balagonWhat else is there to say? Appointments were madeWith a time to keep.But as we all knowMan plans, then weeps. We stood in lineFor what seemed like hours.My back began hurting,My mood became sour. Fifteen minutes to check […]
The phone rang at 8:30 that morning. “Lin, I’m so sorry. My battery’s dead. You’ll have to drive,” my sister said, her voice quivering with distress. “No worries. I’ll pick you up,” I said, even though I really didn’t want to drive since my cataract surgery was still a week […]
It is a cold winter evening in 1944. A group of farmers sits around the kitchen table in Chyliczki, a small village near Warsaw. Even though it is only four o’clock, it is already dark outside. This is the only heated space in the two-room wooden farmhouse. During the day, […]
I ran the Charm City Reptile and Amphibian Rescue for 14 years (no longer in operation). Here is a story about an alligator rescue. A little boy was fishing in a creek in Prince George’s County, Maryland, with his grandfather when something grabbed his bait and ran with it. After […]
No one knowsThat’s how it goesToday could be your lastAnd life goes by oh so fast No one knows how long one getsJust live your life without regretsNo coulda, woulda, shoulda in your viewBecause they limit what you can do Follow if you hear a callBut be kind to one […]
Originally written in 1965. Edited in 1983, 1990, 2019, 2022. The rear lights of the car disappeared. A second later even the faint growl of the motor was engulfed by the silence of the night. I was brutally dumped into a cold, dark, isolating solitude. The bright stars were staring […]
I hate shopping.My back and feet hurt;big department stores with so many floors.Young stylesmisses stylesbright colorsmuted shades.Too much to chooseboggles the brain. Laura said once,“Mom, let’s go shopping. I’ll help.”So, my daughter picked me upin her jeep, top down,drove us to the mall.We walked with purposeto the place she picked.“Mom, […]
Sometimes you meet someone, and you like her very much. The feeling is an instinctual one; something about that person is pleasing. But have you put enough into that friendship? Have you given it your all? Have you truly gotten to know that person? That’s how I feel when I […]