Once upon a time there was a grandmother who lived one long nap away from her two adorable granddaughters – a big sister who was almost old enough for Kindergarten and a little sister who was only two but could ride a scooter really fast. Grandma would drive through heavy traffic to see those …
Good Evening to My Viewers in the West I have a crush on the most trusted man in America. Obama? Good guess. Dr. Fauci? Well now that you mention it, yes. Him too. But I’m talking about NBC’s Lester Holt. Earnest, dimpled, empathetic Lester. I am a total Lester groupie. We even have a shiny …
Mother’s Day 2020 and I am so ready to party! No lectures, please. I don’t mean reckless abandon “Grandmas Gone Wild” kind of partying with blowing raspberries on bare tummies. Certainly not this year. And no hugging. (Aside to self: Now Alice, don’t go down that rabbit hole. For this weekend, promise no hyper- focusing …
A few years back our family watched Alone – a History Channel show in which ten survival experts competed by camping solo on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island. Winter was coming. And indeed, their nights were full of terror. Safe in our cozy living room we settled in with cocktails before a warm fire. On the …
In the Chronicle a month ago, Connie Schultz wrote a column about what five things she would grab if she had to flee her home. I hadn’t thought about it since 1991, when several friends lost everything in the East Bay Firestorm. I remember taking a box of spare mixing bowls and cookbooks to a …
At the bottom of a musty box of family memorabilia, I found a letter written in fountain pen, ink fading between blue and black. It was dated September 21, 1965, sent from my maternal grandmother to my mother who was in Europe with my dad and eldest sister. Mom ‘abandoned’ (…my word…) my twin brothers …
Our friends, Kris and Sandy, are on their way home from D.C. today and I bet they’re exhausted. I know it’s depleting most of my spare energy just keeping up with them on Facebook and the news. This post is in their honor, and in honor of all couples across our nation fighting for their …
On Wednesday, January 30th I sat in a metal folding chair beside a wooden kitchen island, listening to my beloved carrot-topped cooking mentor, Weezie Mott, begin her evening class. “Before I start,” she said, “I need to let everyone know Howard is in the hospital. When he started acting strangely I thought he had suffered …
Hi there, Loyal Reader – Did you call the Alameda Police to report me as a missing person? After hearing from several readers who wondered if they had an incorrect link to my new site, I’m back! I stalled, procrastinated, and even alphabetized Si’s Louis L’Amour paperback collection instead of writing. But I’m back, and …
I’m back! Sorry for the delay… I was buried alive in the aftermath of Christmas. That, and I obey deadlines from others much better than my own. So with a gentle shove from my daughter, Sarah, and another my workout buddy, Chris, here is one toe in the water – an essay submitted to Alameda Patch back …
Finding Alice 