Category: Family

Elizabeth’s birthday is today.  She was born on March 10, 1977.  David was twenty days short of turning two and Michael followed BZ exactly fifteen months later.  Ruth and I were knocking on 30’s door. The 10th was a Thursday.  Ruth had taught through the prior Friday, beginning her maternity leave that day.  She visited …

Dear Jackie, As your older brother, I think I should set you straight on a couple of things. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was on the day you were born. It was a Saturday in February, but for the past seventy years I’m never sure if it fell on the 20th or the …

Elizabeth, Sutton and their dog, Jonesy, lived in Florida for four months from December of 2018 through March of 2019. The prior summer they stayed with Ruth and me in our Michigan home. Beginning in April of 2019, they lived with us in Michigan for another sixteen weeks.  Florida was sandwiched between their two Michigan …

I spent a few days with my three grandchildren, Brady, Eva and Young Jackson James, over the past week. Brady and my conversations focused on college, basketball, and living away from home. Things are going well for him.  I truly enjoyed our discussions. Eva and I talked about her school schedule, classes she plans to …

A few of these short tales have been published before. Never as a single read, but published, nonetheless. I’ll be pushing the “post” button on my second Christmas Eve without Ruth. I feel like looking back because of the memories. While she’s not a part of each of these stories, she’s a part of the …

When I was a kid, I didn’t make a lot of Christmas lists.  I wanted presents but thought Santa would know what I liked.  I didn’t have to tell anyone.  There were a couple years when I was into building model cars so I may have asked for something like that.  I know for sure …

If they had lived, my parents would have been married seventy-eight years this past Friday.  They got married on December 8, 1945.  My dad died in 1999 and my mom in 2014. Dad joined the army in January of 1941.  He signed up for one year and was scheduled to be discharged in January of …

What I know about wine can be summed up in a single word.  Nothing.  Oh sure, I know that there’s red and white, and several pinks, but other than color that’s it.  I think whites are served chilled and reds are not.  Ice is not an acceptable option for either one. I make this point …

Prior to their three-country tour, Elizabeth and Sutton bought a home in Flagstaff, Arizona and lived there for a couple of years.  Ruth and I helped them move.  Michael joined too. When they took to the road, they rented their home to others.  Sometime along their journey they decided to sell their Arizona home, and …

The first time Ruth and I met Sutton we gathered in Las Vegas. I heard about Sutton James Papanikolas from Elizabeth. I don’t recall where they met, probably at some San Diego beach party bingo experience. In any case, she told me that he wanted to take her fishing. When I combined his Greek last …