by Jody | Arizona Life, Human Condition
I was there to look for an extra chair to pull up to the dinner table during the holidays. Although I am usually a little annoyed by people who sing mindlessly along with the recorded music playing in a store, I didn’t mind that she was singing along with the...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
Death is a fact of life, especially for those of us in middle age. Although a few of us may wrestle with the issues of mortality on a personal level, it is more likely that we are traveling final roads with parents. The past few years have been filled with goodbyes...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
He has been sober since late summer, a result of finally being jailed — not for drug use as we had all expected, but for excessive noise and property damage. The irony is that he was not under the influence when he finally lost it. He had just emerged from a haze that...
by Jody | Family, Human Condition
In 1958, we lived in Jacksonville, Indiana on Clay Avenue, next to what had been a farm in earlier days. Now our place, and theirs, was on a street lined with elm trees.The barn next door was a playground for us all, but particularly for the grandchildren of the...
by Jody | Arizona Life, Human Condition
I spend a lot of time in Prescott. My neighbors are few and far between, so when I get a call about an emergency, I tend to pay attention. Recently, Rebecca who lives on the next property over from me sent me an email that something terrible had happened in her...
by Jody | Family, Four-Legged Family, Human Condition
Millie was barely old enough to have a litter. Half Maltese mixed with yorkie and chihuahua, she is tiny and intelligent. We had planned to spay her after the holidays. New Year’s Eve, semi-terminal, ancient Jack found enough of a spark behind his failing heart for...
