I wrote this poem in late July, and since then I’ve been following my own advice and taking it easy. But August has been unusually cool, and the past week has felt more like September. Maybe that’s why I feel ambition creeping back in ahead of schedule. Why wait for Labor Day when I can… [Read More]
Camelot, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the End of Innocence
The media coverage of the fiftieth anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy has been inescapable these past few weeks. Much has been made of our nation’s loss of innocence when Camelot came tumbling down, but if I had to choose a pivotal event that triggered my disenchantment in that era, it would be… [Read More]
Remembering 1979: Year of the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and Etan Patz
At long last, after 33 years, they’ve arrested the alleged murderer of Etan Patz, the six-year-old boy who went missing on his first walk to the bus stop near his home. I knew Etan and his family, and to this day, I have a vivid memory of the moment I learned he had disappeared. Like… [Read More]
Together in Joy and Creativity – Reflections on marriage and music
My husband and I celebrated our thirty-seventh wedding anniversary on May 3rd, and I’ve been thinking about what’s kept us together all these years. Paradoxically, one of those togetherness factors is separation – especially when it comes to music. About a decade ago, when the City of Albany was building the pedestrian bridge over Route… [Read More]
Am I a patient here? My mysterious ophthalmological morning
Tomorrow’s the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Week Symposium in New York City. I sent in my check back in February, especially because the cocktail party that follows the day of talks and panels is limited in size, and I wanted to be sure to snag myself a reservation in plenty of time. I’m ambivalent… [Read More]
Good grief, I never put up the Christmas tree. Am I jinxed? Not yet!
This Christmas, for the first time in 35 years, we never put up the Christmas tree. It’s not that we didn’t have one – we had three, in fact. So what happened? Did I bring down the jinx of Scrooge on my happy home? So far so good – but the holidays aren’t over yet…. [Read More]