Retired IT consultant. Retired Hockey Mom. Retired Base Brat and Military wife. Lifelong learner. Writer.
Husbands say the darndest things. Annoying? Or is it just me, living 24-7 on the road? Winter has been long, let’s get away. Drive south till the butter melts! Ok. Then, It’s too hot here. Crank up the AC. How about : I don’t like these plates. They’re too noisy. Huh? Ok, obvious I’m not … More Roadtrip – Part 2
In the heat and sunshine of Virginia, doing the historic Gettysburg and Williamsburg and Jamestown and Yorktown and Virginia Beach. Had to drive south till the butter melted. At Yorktown American Revolution Visitor Centre, they had a recreated military camp set up from the Revolutionary war (1780ish), it had a mockup of where the wives and families – … More Roadtrip
Don’t stop reading. This isn’t another article about how great exercise is for you, or a lecture on how much exercise you “should” be doing. You know all that. We all know all that. No, this is an article about motivating yourself to go do the exercise, to make it easier for yourself to get … More How to Motivate yourself to Exercise
Check out the “Time Issue” of freelitmagazine.com – March 2017 My story “From There to Here” which is an excerpt to be included in my memoir book, has been published. Page 42.
In case any of my readers were wondering, yes, I’m still writing, and yes, I still hope you are reading! I know I haven’t posted in awhile, because… My manuscript for “Camp Follower – A Storied Life” has been consuming me these past winter months since Christmas. It started, as you know if you’ve read … More Ides of March – beAware
“What DO you do?” “What do you do?” Polite enough question to start a first acquaintance chit-chat. It soon becomes: “What do you do all day?”, once you mention you’re retired. Like everyone else when I was working full-time, I’d smirk at the usual reply of, “Oh, I’m busier than ever! I don’t know how … More Retired? What do you do all day?
When my Army father was posted to Germany in 1965, we were supposed to move in the summer with the rest of his Battalion. But my baby brother had eczema and couldn’t get his vaccination shots until he was cleared. So, we moved at Christmas instead. Lesson: It’s only with the passing of years we … More Christmas 1965
Another installment in my “Camp Followers” memoir series. Enjoy. 1977, Brantford, Ontario. My young new husband is playing his last year of Junior hockey for the Brantford “Aragon” (named for the restaurant sponsor) Penguins and working at a ShopRite catalogue store. I’m working full-time as a swim instructor at the Brant Aquatic Centre, now … More Strange New World
“What do you mean ‘We won the lottery’? What are you talking about – 1 million dollars?”, Stevie recoiled in horror. This couldn’t be true. It was the worst news her excited husband could have had for her, just returned from her business trip in New Orleans. Their darling son Brandon, at 2 years old … More It’s Fate
My future daughter-in-law Haley and I are sitting on bleacher-style seats inside the stuffy auditorium; my husband Bryan is wandering the halls while we wait for the commencement ceremony to begin. My son, Brandon, is graduating from Buffalo State College today. Excited but bored and fidgety, Haley has asked me about Brandon’s early hockey life. … More Hockey Mom Incident #1
Stevie Szabad, Author 