While choking on a mini Tootsie Roll today I wondered for a second, is it gonna end this way? And what would my friends and family think That I should have had water and taken a drink? I would hope that they know that I love them so And agree when…
Life’s Wind Chill Facttor
We have become, if not the, then a Windy City. Having lived here all my life I can say definitively that in recent years we have had extremely blustery days no matter the season. It’s not unusual to have to bring in garden flags and porch signs so they don’t blow down ….
Birdpees Are Next
Meet my personal trainer. It doesn’t get much more personal than climbing all over you while you do your ab work. He is one tough bird whose bird’s eye view is perfect for communicating “GIMME TEN MORE!!!” Piper’s Beak Camp is serious business. Some of you may have a trainer of…
Oh, The Weather Inside Was Frightful
A week before Christmas, on December 19th, our home heater died. We knew we were on borrowed time with it, but the serviceman who came out to get it ready for the approaching cold months thought we could get through one more winter. Two months in to the “Brrrrrr” its…
Feet First Into My Heart
Reptilian-like feet. Prehistoric even. Two toes in front, toe toes in back. Zygodactyl they call it. Dinosaur-like. Both feet and hands. Standing on one while the other holds food. Perching on one to sleep, the other tucked up into the breast feathers. So warm when it’s put back down. These feet do…
Grateful Times Call For Grateful Measures
You know how when you have a cold or an injury and it’s the only thing you can think about? How sometimes, in the case of a bone or a muscle, you can feel your pulse in that painful spot and you hear inside your head, “that hurts, that hurts,…
Lather. Rinse. Rinse Again. And Again.
Sometimes when I comb out my hair after washing it I notice that there is still some shampoo left in it. I have been washing my hair for over fifty years, so I’m wondering how this happens. I don’t rush through the rinsing process so what the heck is going…
Hue-man Sights
When I watch TV, it looks black and white to me. If the people on-screen aren’t familiar, I have no way of knowing what their skin color is. My inability to see race has not been lost on me over the past few years. I don’t have the answers to the…
The Circle Of Lies
When I was in my 20s and a healthcare professional would ask about my use of alcohol and its frequency, there was always an internal debate about whether or not to tell the truth. During my 30s and 40s it was easy and immediate to reply, “Yes. Occasionally. Currently in…