By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. Did you ever fight something ferociously, only to know deep inside that you’re doomed to lose? For me, it’s the annual Christmas decorating battle. The mere thought of crawling on hands and knees, clawing my way through the attic and closets to retrieve the mountains of Christmas crud makes me break out in a cold sweat. [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. I don’t know about you, but I’m already exhausted. The last remnants of the Thanksgiving extravaganza are still finding their way back into cabinets, drawers and the giant closet in the basement where I throw everything I can’t fit anywhere else, and the pressure to create the Christmas spectacular has begun. It’s still November and my [...]
By: Mary Fran BontempoTo hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. “Mom! Give me the saw and get out of the tree!”A few days before the devastation that arrived in the form of hurricane Sandy, I decided to clean up the yard in preparation for the storm. We’ve had our share of storm-related messes before, so cleaning gutters and clearing out some dead wood from old, very large [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo To hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. There was nothing funny about Sandy.The mega-storm that pounded its way through the Northeast last week sucker punched everyone and everything in her path. Entire towns along coastlines were devastated, as streets became beaches and boats found new homes in back yards blocks away from the ocean and bays. Combining elements like a tropical storm with [...]
By: Mary Fran BontempoTo hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. I really thought it was an innocent question.“So, honey, did you have a good time last night?” My husband, Dave and I were headed to a movie on a Sunday afternoon when the call came in from our daughters, Laura and Meg, as they checked in after a night in Atlantic City. Yes, Atlantic City. So any [...]
By: Mary Fran Bontempo At age 77, my mother is going to learn Spanish. No, she’s not traveling to a foreign country; she’s only going to her bedroom, where Spanish has become a necessity. And though it would be exciting to think it’s about an international golden-years romance, it’s not that, either. It’s The Big Bang Theory. Again, lest you think I’m referring to an intellectual pursuit, I’m talking about the TV show. [...]
By: Mary Fran BontempoTo hear an audio version of this post, click the play arrow below. The car salesman giveth and the car salesman taketh away.Buying a car is huge, especially if it’s your first car. At least that’s what we thought, until the manager of the car dealership told us it’s not that big a deal. But I’m getting ahead of myself.Our middle child, Laura, at times appears snake-bit; for whatever reason, [...]
