Call me anytime, on the line

My voicemail can handle about three messages before it is full. I am frequently being told “Your inbox is full” or “Delete some messages” or some such advice. I try hard to stay on top of the three spam messages that inevitably fill those slots, but I’m only human. The rest of the voicemail slots? […]

Thanksgiving Week Is My Favorite Time of The Year

Crap. It is Sunday at 8:30 and I haven’t posted yet. I cannot break my #NaBloPoMo streak on day ten. And you don’t want to read yet another post about cats so soon, I’m sure. My favorite week of the year is Thanksgiving week. Don’t get me wrong, I am aware of the horrors of […]

Review: The Hobbit Adventure at Pittsburgh Public Theater

I was quite young when I first met Bilbo Baggins, peaceful resident of Middle Earth and protagonist of ‘The Hobbit’ by J.R.R Tolkien.. My Dad was a aficionado of science fiction and fantasy so it was inevitable he would steer me that way, too. The novel dates to 1937 while the animated television musical (??) […]

The Lingering Impact of Slouchy Boots Trends of the 80’s

 A little bit of swashbuckling bravado boots might be just what we need to keep up the fight Laird Borelli, Vogue In my middle school days, fashion trends were aplenty. Most of us kids of steelworkers did not have plenty to spend on them. We settled for knockoffs in a time long before TJ Marshalls and […]

Is Our Bond Strong Enough to Navigate Abandonment?

Every time I call my friend Nikki, I ask “Are you still coming on Saturday?” referencing the (back)yardsale. She softly responds “Yes, I am. It’s okay to ask and I will say yes each time you ask because I understand what you are really asking me.” Please don’t abandon me. That’s what I’m asking. I […]

Disability Pride Month: The Stories I Can’t Explain

Here’s how disability pride works. I’ve been home now for over four months. That’s a significant accomplishment, one many people doubted I could manage. I think a lot of people expected me to just roll over and give up, to build something new instead of returning to claim my life of 20 years. But this […]

Just know you’re not alone. Cause they are going to make this place my home

Tomorrow, I am going home. It was more than six months ago since I was removed from my home of 18+ years with an invalid petition to involuntarily commit me. I was released in under five hours. But the locks to my home were changed. A good family lawyer righted that wrong, but it took […]

The Courage of An Apology, The Grace of New Insight

apology cats

And when the music playsAnd when the words areTouched with sorrowWhen the music playsAnd when the music playsI hear the soundI had to follow I recently had a chat with a high school classmate about the long-ago rift in our friendship and the chance to offer an apology. They said I was a gossip. And […]

No Crib For a Bed

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord That David played, and it pleased the Lord But you don’t really care for music, do you? I’ve always known that my family moved to West Mifflin when I was a preschooler so while I can lay claim to that corner of the blue collar world as […]

A History of Aunts on the 4th of July

We take family photos with the niblings. A lot. Elijah and I developed a little Fourth of July tradition. Until he didn’t want to do it (he got to choose.)This year he was a good sport about trying to recreate those early images. As was Aunt Laura. So from age 9 months through age 11, […]