Author Archives: maryangelis

At Big Chain Supermarket, an outdoorsy looking man with backpacking gear strides up to me with a confident smile. “You do take gold, don’t you?” he greets me. Gold? Uh… Is he suggesting that I glow up my teeth with … Continue reading →

Here’s a memory that circles back every July 10th. In college we had a wonderfully cheerful assistant professor of Russian language. Russian was a terrible source of stress for some students, and a real struggle for us all. But the … Continue reading →

The Usual Disclaimer: This is NOT to minimize medical conditions such as oxalosis or hyperoxaluria, or disparage their treatment and care. It is not medical or menu advice. It is not a knowledgeable book review or criticism of an author … Continue reading →

Update 7/7/26: A very kind reader comment gave me the idea of looking up the song again just now, and giving it a listen. Wow. Even after 54 years, at that first guitar line some fine thread of perception woke … Continue reading →

In New Jersey, there is the most loyal reader in America for this website. My home page Stats function shows the countries and map regions where people have viewed these pages, and the map suggests that someone in your state … Continue reading →

At a Little Free Library there was a really handsome mint-new book all about being a grandparent. There was a famous woman on the cover who we see on the television set. She works with other important people who are … Continue reading →

It’s not even summer yet, but the National Weather Service issued us three days of “Hazardous Weather” heat advisory. They warned that our temperature could climb to 90 F degrees. Now to the rest of the planet, our “heat wave” … Continue reading →

The Big Disclaimer: In view of the last post and its upbeat account of successful overtures to total strangers, it is only fair to repeat that not everyone is alit with delight at these attempts. There are plenty of pratfall … Continue reading →

It’s interesting to try tuning in to one person at a time, throughout the day. That doesn’t mean cottoning up to everybody. Many people really want and truly need to be left alone in their individual bubble of consciousness. Every … Continue reading →

In January as always I bought the annual bags of organic raised-bed potting soil, and cultivated my patch for spring. Then on Valentine’s Day, the hardware store had a happy find: organic vegetable seeds marked for 2026. I bought two … Continue reading →