Part II was barely sixteen when I attended my first funeral. It was in honor of my good friend Jimmy, whom I had known for about three weeks. My parents encouraged me to go, but didn't offer to accompany me. So I drove the seven quiet miles to Gibbon, Nebraska...
“You will not eat that in this house.” I froze in place, my finger still tucked under the sardine can opener. I looked at Mom. I looked down at the can, as if to verify that that was what she meant. I looked back at Mom. “It’s okay—it’s food,” I replied hopefully. “I...
Some say you are what you eat. That’s fine, I get it: if you eat carrots, you feel good. If you eat a cheeseburger and waffle fries, you feel better. If you eat gluten-free paleo tofu, you feel like a sucker. I’m offering a different take on that old saw. If you tell...
Me at the Buffalo County Fair, 1972: “Please can I have some cotton candy?” Dad: “No.” “Pleeeeeze? Pleeeaaaauuuuzzzhhh?” As if adding syllables would help. “No.” “ I’ll never ask for any…” “Fine—just shut up. Here’s fifty cents. Get outta here.” “It costs...
My first tricycle was taller than everyone else's. It was a hand-me-down, apparently owned by someone who rode it at age fifteen. My feet barely reached the pedals.But kids were less judgmental then. We rode what we were given. I was given that tricycle, and I didn't...
Global Warming. Underwear Bombers. Gluten. Life feels precarious. I’ve gone beyond worrying about tomorrow to worrying whether I’ll make it to happy hour. To console myself, I make every meal a Last Supper. Not the broken bread and bloody wine kind, but real comfort...
My mother moved out of her house in my humble hometown of Kearney, Nebraska after forty-eight years. I was two years old when we moved there, and didn't leave until college beckoned.You wouldn't think I'd remember anything about the house we had before that, but I do....
Some people have perfect pitch. Most of us have relative pitch. A few of us bray like goats, which is fine too because goats are cute. Relative pitch means you can sing Happy Birthday in such a way that other people recognize it. You may find yourself straining...
My favorite place to go for seafood was a box of Mrs. Paul’s. Fish sticks were my favorite. Throughout my life I thought I loved seafood. It turns out what I love is tartar sauce and wine vinegar. Tartar sauce is just pickle relish in mayonnaise. It makes everything...
We weren't getting along. Mostly, we were just staying away from each other. I love to go for walks at night in the winter, and I was happy to go alone. Winter sky is so clear it's black. Stars pierce. I clearly see patterns in the stars, but I don't see a dog or bear...