Like a Girl I lived in Louisiana as a young girl. Our state license plate proudly proclaimed Louisiana to be the “Sportsman’s Paradise.” It was a man’s state for sure. Men had a Cajun history of fishing and hunting all year long. There was no mention of the role of women on the license plate. […]
Vexations and Conundrum – August 2025 Read More »
The Kiss Of Death Some subjects are verboten. We know through etiquette training that the subject provokes discomfort in our audience. For instance, sex, politics, or religion are sensitive topics. One must know to whom they are addressing delicate subjects lest they encounter blushes, avoidance, or downright indignation. I would add death and dying to
Vexations and Conundrum – July 2025 Read More »
Tardy Why are some people always late? These people arrive at meetings, lunches, dinners, and shopping dates harried, and breathless. They have many good excuses: terrible traffic, received a last-minute phone call (why answer it?), overslept, something came up at the office. The excuses are usually similar justifications, on repeat. I must have a military
Vexations and Conundrums – June 2025 Read More »
What A Night I received an invitation to “Night of Ideas” held at the Rothko Chapel in Houston, TX. The featured speaker was Dr. Peter Hotez, an “internationally- recognized physician scientist” as stated in the program. I’d seen him on national television and my heart soared. I may be a scientist groupie. Health Justice was
Vexations and Conundrum – May 2025 Read More »
Perpetual Motion My doctors agree about one thing: I need more exercise. My cardiologist asked me how I’d handled the pandemic. I responded that I’d remained pretty much sedentary, isolated and frozen in fear. “I can tell,” he responded. “How did you know?” I asked, truly perplexed that he knew. “You lost three minutes of
Vexations and Conundrum – April 2025 Read More »
When Fantasy Dies In 1967, when “Brown-Eyed Girl” was on the airwaves of our transistor radios, my neighborhood friend Julie and I would fall into a rapture every time the song played. We both had brown eyes. The song was meant for us! We were too young to date, yet we really wanted boyfriends. The
Vexations and Conundrums – March 2025 Read More »
On Love “Love cures people – both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” Karl Menninger, M.D. We all want more love in our lives. In times as turbulent as these, the quest for love seems to magnify and spread. Just look at the number of apps that allow people to
Vexations and Conundrums – February 2025 Read More »
A.I., New Applications We were planning the holidays on FaceTime with my stepson, and our granddaughter kept popping energetically into the screen. She had questions about an art project she was working on, wanted to see her Poppy and I on the screen and wanted to see if I’d stick my tongue out when she
Vexations and Conundrum – January 2025 Read More »
The azaleas were in voluptuous, vibrant purple bloom. Roses nodded heavy heads of scarlet and pink, glossy green leaves set off the rosy colors. Melissa traipsed around the garden, marveling at how well her ornamental flowers were doing this year. Her intense attention to prevention of mold and insect infestation was finally reaping rewards. Her
Jingle Bells! My husband and I are at a holiday party, a gentle murmur of conversation buzzing around us. I lean in and speak softly, “Honey, look over your shoulder, I think I see Rex.” He frowns as he tries to decipher what I just said. “You want me to put you on my shoulder
Vexations and Conundrum – December 2024 Read More »
