Author Archive
Sharing the Common Spaces
I watch a lot of old black and white movies. The other day, I noticed that people who lived in apartment buildings tended to treat the hallways and lobbies as extensions of their own homes. Those common areas were shared between all neighbors. When guests came, those spaces were utilized.
Isn’t it the same now with so many other areas of our community? We don’t have a playset, but we use the one down the street at the local park, where other families who don’t have playsets go to play. I go for walks on the sidewalks in the neighborhood to …
Volunteer to Feel Connected
Oh the nervous excitement. Oh the glorious tension of wondering what will come next.
No, I didn’t sign up for an online matchmaker site. I signed up at United Way’s Volunteer Connection site, and I sent out some emails to local organizations offering my limited time and skills to help with something … ANYTHING … in my community.
I live in a large neighborhood full of homes, full of families and elderly people, full of needs and small ways where someone like me could help them. I could bring over a meal, wash their kitchen floor, change their sheets. I want …
Common Goals bind Neighbors
This is a love story to my neighborhood. I feel like I belong, and I love the new dynamic in the area.
I don’t live in a “destination neighborhood.” (Did you know those even exist here in Wausau?) When we decided to buy our first house, our budget point was so low, we were only on the market for foreclosed houses or very small houses. We’re simple people with simple needs, so we chose the small house. In less than 1,000 square feet, we’ve made a home for ourselves and our kids. We plan to eventually add on to the house …
Faith Healing in a Modern Medicine World
Here at Citizen Wausau, we didn’t talk about the Neumann case. Maybe we weren’t interested enough; maybe we didn’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole.
I’m nudging it a bit.
To tell you the truth, I was surprised by the verdict of guilty. I thought she would be acquitted.
To tell you the truth again, I thought a charge of child neglect was more reasonable.
This is an unpopular standpoint. Outrage is an understatement in regards to the response of our community to the tragic death of that dear girl. We pointed fingers and screamed that any responsible parent would have rushed …
Five Questions While the Soil is Perfect for Planting
1. Do you garden?
We’re trying really hard for a garden this year. Last year our efforts were eaten by little fuzzy bunny rabbits. This year, we have a chicken wire fence. Now that the garden is almost all planted, we discover Square Foot Gardening, and we’re so intrigued, we’re still going to do some of that this year as well. I might transplant my seedlings from the single row garden into the SFG when they are ready. See? These are the things on my mind right now. Gardening. Growing produce. It makes me want to keep a chicken.
2. Any fancy …
Finding Someone to Blame
Note from the editor: Read Dino’s post about this same topic for another view.
While I absolutely agree with Dino that we should take the focus away from the murderer and provide solace and support to the family, I will hesitate before I tell anyone how to mourn.
Isn’t that a normal reaction? To find someone to blame? To find out what went wrong, what could have been avoided? When my toddler son wandered out of the house last year while under my watch, I was horrified and felt extremely guilty, despite his safe and quick return. The point is that we …
Four Questions while the rain splatters and splashes against my window
1. Are you who you say you are online?
For various reasons a lot of us use pseudonyms when we are online to protect our identities. We have handles, avatars and nicknames as cloaks to shield us from the evil Reality Monster that can come to bite us in the behind with identity theft or real-life harassment. I find it interesting when I find my mommy-blog friends on Facebook. They never used their real names on their blog, but they do on Facebook. It’s curious to analyze the dichotomy of online and offline relationships and where they slam up against each …
Three Questions to Kick April into Gear
1. What piece of advice would you give to a much younger “you” so that something would be a less painful experience?
My initial reaction to this question was that I try not to live with regrets, that even if awful things happened or I did really dumb things, they made me who I am today, so therefore, they aren’t inherently wrong. But really, I think that’s bull. I may love and accept myself now, but I still have a more highly refined compass now than I did back then. So I would tell myself to stay away from student organizations …
Five Questions as Fargo Drowns
News story referenced in title linked here.
1. Who do you complain to when you have a gripe?
I diffused a couple husband bombs this week when he came to me with work woes. When I need to complain, he usually hears the tales of tribulation. It’s a handy partnership.
2. Is anyone wrapped around your little finger?
My kids are the joy of my heart, and I’m a sucker for their twinkling eyes and riotous laughter. I don’t give them their hearts’ desires though. That’s bad parenting. I think the closest I ever came to having someone that I submitted to …
Five Questions Because Rainbow Glow Jellyfish are Awesome
Title explanation in link.
1. A slippery slope? Is Congress’ move to tax AIG’s bonuses a good idea or a slippery slope in government control?
I have mixed feelings. My gut response was that it was a great idea, a solution to a difficult problem. AIG was obligated to give the bonuses due to contractual verbiage, but at least we will get most of our money back. The bonus system in these corporations could be one of the symptoms of the culture of excess that has helped to drive their balance sheets to the red. If I’m broke, I don’t …