General

"I did it," confessed the six-year-old boy. He stood pale before my husband Sandy, having tossed a rock that shattered a window in our rental car. Sandy was at the local fair in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, where we were vacationing. He was rolling out of the parking lot after the … [Read more...] about Heart of a Town

When the idea was first floated to me, I smiled and said, "Sounds nice," in the vague way you do when someone makes a kind offer you have no intention of taking them up on. But my friend was insistent. "You would love Wisconsin," he said. "And Wood Lake is really special." He … [Read more...] about My Inner Midwesterner

It all started last summer when we were staying at a VRBO.com rental I'd booked online. The gorgeous Santa Fe, NM residence was all I'd hoped it would be - pictures didn't do it justice. Built in the 1700's and modernized without losing any of its character, it had an inner … [Read more...] about House Swap

Michael is different, no doubt about it. For one thing, he's very tall. He towers over me at well over six feet, and I'm pretty tall myself. He's also really smart, especially when it comes to math and anything involving computers, whereas I'm a self-professed "technotard." And … [Read more...] about My Crazy, Wonderful Son

Someone in quality control screwed up when I was in the making, because seems I was born without an "off" switch. I can't see something that needs doing and overlook it. I TRY. God knows. But it's like this weird tic or obsession or whatever. I'm the person straightening the … [Read more...] about DIY Is My Middle Name