duchesspandora

Here’s the thing, you’re not perfect. You’re not the most emotionally available man in the world. You either talk a lot or not at all. Many times when you do talk, it’s not so much “to” a person, as it is “at” a person. When you don’t feel like talking, you just simply DON’T. You can be extremely harsh and hypercritical of others. However… You let me be me. You are strong enough to know to let me chase down my dreams and goals, no matter how they may grow and evolve over time. You don’t take... Read Full Story

It’s a funny thing, that terror. It can sneak up on you when you least expect it, and strike at you from angles that you have never even considered, let alone girded yourself against. As the child of a 2 time breast cancer survivor, I am perhaps a bit jumpier about my health than the average bear. I have been getting yearly mammograms since my early thirties, and try not to take my health for granted. In fact, to that end, I have just completed my annual gauntlet of medical appointments... Read Full Story

When asked as a small child, what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d take a deep breath and answer with the most off the wall thing that I could come up with. Some days it was a brain surgeon for guinea pigs. Other days it might be a sign language singer. The more unexpected of an answer I could come up with, the more gusto I would deliver the answer with. I delighted in nothing so much, as seeing the surprised and amused expressions on the faces of my inquisitors. Rarely did my answer not... Read Full Story

For our family, Boy Scouts is something that we are passionate about. It may not be particularly in fashion any more, but I feel that it has value, and I will fight to make sure that the integrity of the organization is maintained, to the best of my limited abilities...and here's why: Scouting is a strong foundation on which young boys and young men can plant their feet, in order to jump off and become anything that they wish. Scouting is meant to provide an echoing sentiment to the values... Read Full Story

There is much in this life that I don't understand. I DON'T understand why people like to toy with one another's emotions. I DON'T understand how people fall out of love. I DON'T understand how anyone can hurt a child or an animal. And the list goes on. But I think I am finally starting to understand a little bit about my father. Recently my stepson reached out to me. It has been nearly 3 years since we had any form of direct contact. I am not sure what exactly prompted it, but he used every... Read Full Story

Upon hearing that Grandma & Grandpa's miniature dachshunds are expecting puppies : "So what? Did they fall in love and get married or something?" Yeah, I'd say that falls deeply within the "or something" category... Read Full Story

I have a secret to confess...my life? It has been the stuff of a made for TV movie. An afterschool special if you will. So many cautionary tales, all rolled up into one. Want divorced family? We've got that here. Want blended family, struggling to succeed? We've got that too. Want said blended family crumbling to pieces? Check! Want long lost family reappearing and reuniting? Double check! Want vile actions driving people apart? Score! Want alcoholism, drugs, abuse, suicide attempts? Tune in... Read Full Story

One of my articles got flagged for plagiarism...the article that I am accused of potentially plagiarizing from? An article that I wrote on the same topic about a week ago. Can you plagiarize yourself? Read Full Story

Well, our little family has just embarked upon a new and unexpected little journey...we former "city mice" have decided to go a little less urbane with our diet and have started drinking raw milk. Raw milk, for the uninitiated is simply milk fresh from the cow. It is not pasteurized (cooked) as typical, store-bought milk is, nor is it homogenized. This means that the cream will separate out. It means that our whole milk is *truly* whole. On average, our family of four drinks about 6-8 gallons... Read Full Story

It is now Day 2 of the great green days of May for me. I know, I know you never even knew it was Day 1...Last week the girl child was stricken with a nasty stomach bug, that her firmly parked on the couch for 2 days. What had started as a perfectly ordinary morning quickly changed, leaving the boy child to trudge on to the bus stop alone, and the girl to practice her mad vomit aiming skills. Thankfully, as these things typically do, it passed. Yesterday morning I got up and felt ill. Like... Read Full Story