The Life You Want

The Life You Want

Tonight I went to the Hyatt Hotel to hear Amor Towles, author of one of my favorite books—A Gentleman in Moscow—speak at the Mercantile Library’s Niehoff Lecture. The Niehoff is the annual fundraising event. Tuxedos and bow ties, sparkles and sheer graced the...
My Orchid Is Smarter Than Me

My Orchid Is Smarter Than Me

This spring, my orchid sent out two stalks. Both grew gorgeous, huge blooms that cascade like a waterfall of creamy petals. About a month ago, my orchid sent out a third stalk. I looked at the green stem, then talked back to the plant. “That wasn’t smart. You think...
Massage Table Chills

Massage Table Chills

Another cancellation, another chance to be back on Becky’s massage table ahead of my mid-October appointment. Becky got to work on my back, elbowed the knots, went to town around the right scapula. After she asked me to flip over, she said, “I think it will be okay to...
Precursor to Chills

Precursor to Chills

Paddlefest is an annual event in Cincinnati. On the first Saturday in August, the filthy Ohio River is closed to commercial traffic from 6am to noon. Kayaks, canoes, and paddleboards take over the river. This was my first year volunteering at Paddlefest. Starting at...
The #5 Bus

The #5 Bus

I had a dream the other night, one of the icky ones, where you wake up in neon cobwebs. Five days later, the damp strands still cling. I was in a massive building complex that was somehow wet inside, slippery. Mostly it was rooms and hallways and stairways that went...
This Is Nice

This Is Nice

I’m sitting in my big chair by the window. Roxie lies stretched out on the floor nearby, tip of her tail upright (which means she’s not yet all the way asleep). The day is gray from the clouds with the rain that we needed so badly. This is nice. It’s so nice to wake...
Jule Kucera