My daughter overheard me one morning, it was kind of funny. I had whispered “Cozies! I’ll see you later…” to my PJs as I set them aside for the day. I didn’t think I said it out loud, let alone loudly enough for anyone else to hear! I’m starting to think maybe I talk to myself, to inanimate objects and to my pets a little too much. I’m not alone in this behavior though, am I?  (Denise sits back and hopes some fairly sane and sound minded people give reassurances that they do the same things…and that they also occasionally refer to themselves in the third person.)  In the meantime, here…

When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was PLAY! Looking back on it, my parents did a great thing by allowing us to have time and space to play and imagine. My Mom, in particular, fostered play when I was little. As I grew, I was the kid who was always nagging my family to please play a game with me. My sisters were not as enthusiastic about game playing as I was. When I asked my Mom, she would usually stop what she was doing and play a card or board game with me. She did the same for her grandchildren. Connor and Rachel have fond…

I’ve been thinking it, but wondered if I was alone in my thinking. Being selfish. In my own little world. I am enjoying many facets of the quarantine. There. I said it. But having said it, I know I’m not alone. I do not enjoy what havoc it has wreaked on our population. The illness and death, the forced distancing, the masks, continuous disinfecting, using gloves, hand sanitizer, disinfectant spray, non-stop hand washing, the effect on our economy, the fear and isolation, the early and abrupt end to in-school learning and my high school seniors missing out on so much of the fun of their last months before graduation. I…

All of us are in the midst of a pandemic and unforeseen and unimaginable things are happening in the world as a result. Many horrible things are mixed in with many blessings. I have been fortunate to stay in my job, my husband is on furlough and is staying home with the kids. We have 18 year old twins, Connor and Rachel, who are high school seniors and almost three weeks ago, we invited a foreign exchange student from Italy, Gigi (Ginevra), to live with us. Gigi’s former host family wanted her to go home, she did not want to leave yet. She would have had to fly under these…