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Hello friend, My 59th birthday is coming up fast. Which, of course, has me thinking about my 60th birthday.  What do I want to achieve between now and then?  How can I, by the time I turn 60, become a better version of myself? Being The Queen of the Chronic Overthinkers as I am, I…

 

Has 2020, as awful as it was, given you any gifts? Because I have to admit that for me, 2020 wasn’t all bad. Ok, wait. Before you go nuts on me, let me finish. Of course 2020 was awful. It was the worst. It was THE. MOST. DIFFICULT. YEAR. OF. MY. LIFE. Everyone I know…

Published in the Island Times July, 2011.   I return home to Peaks Island on the 7:15 p.m. ferry. How will I spend this clear summer Saturday night? I wonder. As I disembark, I spot my husband, Ron. Ron leans against the stone wall at Jones Landing, near a palette of beer earmarked for Reggae…

Published 2011 on ErrantParent.com “You know when people have sex?” asks Lindsey. She is in the third grade at Peaks Island School. This afternoon, we went into Portland for ballet class and are now on our way to catch the ferry home. Lindsey sits behind me on her grey plastic booster seat as our battered…

Do you have a mascot for 2020? I painted Dizzy Ostrich two years ago, but lately he kept popping into my mind. There was something about him that was speaking to me. But what? The wild feathers? The crazy eyes? The alert posture? Yes, yes, and yes. But it was more than that. This morning…

When I was in second grade, all of the other girls kept talking about this TV show that I’d never heard of—The Partridge Family. “What?” I asked. “David who?” Not knowing what they were talking about made me feel like even more of a social outcast than usual. Anxious to join the conversation, I begged…

Last September I publicly announced that I’ve given myself permission to take my art seriously.  This made things get hard. REALLY HARD. All of those hopes and dreams and expectations. It was an unbearable weight. A crushing weight. My declaration opened the door for my internal critics who have been working overtime ever since. Your…

You’d think my decision to pursue my childhood dream of becoming a “real” artist would be something to celebrate. But it’s been just the opposite. The pressure was unbearable. As soon as I staked my claim, my internal drill sergeant chimed in. Every time I even thought about painting, he’d pipe up. “Ok, this is…