Dad had a curious habit of calling out birth dates from numbers on his digital clock. My children and niece have birthdays in September, on the 12th and 13th. So, at 9:12 (am or pm) on any given day, Dad would say “Look at that. It’s Nick’s birthday on the clock.” And at 9:13, he’d grin…

Homebody Craft Vineyards 1046 E. Best Wines Boulevard Paso Robles, CA 93446 RE: Letter of Application for Remote/Telecommuting Position Dear Hiring Manager: Thank you for the opportunity to apply for a customer service position with your distinguished company, Homebody Craft Vineyards. With the holidays upon us, I have already started researching this wine distributor by purchasing…

Imagine yourself as a teenager, dilly-dallying after school. No hurry to get home. You hang out at the bus stop with friends until your stomach starts to growl and you start thinking about dinner. It’s a warm day, and as you’re walking home, you realize you smell like books and physical education class and beanie…

The mountain chickadee is tiny. She is quick, agile, and curious like me. She’s a songbird, whistling an enchanting tune, like the ones my dad whistled while tending to his garden. Usually, he whistled songs from The Beatles, especially Let It Be. The lyrics are hopeful. Dad was hopeful. He believed there would be an answer…

Girls’ trip to Port Hadlock, Washington brought together six women and one brave husband for four wondrous days of chatter, inspiration, and adventure. Prior work colleagues, we quickly became forever friends as bonds strengthened. We reminisced, shared personal stories, laughed, cried, and learned more about each other in four days than we did working together…

It was an old dirt road, not much wider than any one car passing over it. After school, my friends and I would pile into Dinky’s mom’s shiny green Chrysler and head to Monster Road. From the back seat, I could only see the sky ahead, a rugged mountain nearly scraping the passenger window on…

I uncovered this collection of notes during my lowest point of the pandemic, after leaving my career, not seeing family for months, and feeling sorry for myself. One quiet afternoon, I unearthed several boxes of old pictures and greeting cards. Among those treasures was a manila envelope holding letters and quotes my Grannie had written…