

How do you say goodbye?
It’s not easy, especially when it’s a person, pet or place we love. This week, I had to say goodbye to my sweet two-room basement studio, a place that’s been a creative haven for me and my students. As I’m now retired, my claim to the space is shaky, especially as the house is needed for more faculty offices. So Alan and I spent two days clearing out the studio. I sorted, boxed, threw out and cleaned, while Alan did the heavy lifting. It’s amazing how much stuff I had accumul


A "Successful" Family Vacation
My ex-husband sometimes described the trips he took as “successful,” but I never knew what that meant. One person's success is another's failure. As we’ve just returned from a week-end trip with Alan’s three grown girls and their families in Lava Hot Springs, I’ve been thinking about what makes a “successful” family vacation. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs has helped me frame my thinking and it goes something like this: The first and most basic level of a successful family vacat