Andrea

My dad was nutty about nuts. Every Christmas, he received many gifts of food from people he did business with -- tins of Danish cookies, thick, salty pretzels, and best of all, metal containers of nuts. Mom put the mixed nuts in glass dishes in the living room; on the end tables alongside...

My son turns 40 next week. He's the youngest, the last child of our blended family to reach this milestone. When I think of him, it isn't always the bearded man with graying hair who comes to mind. Sometimes, it's the little boy who was dubbed "Kid Smiley" by his friend's parent....

A letter was delivered to my mailbox. I was shocked. It had been mailed to my home address, not sent to my computer inbox. Four 50-cent stamps were affixed to the envelope's upper right hand corner. When I saw the return address of a New Zealand hotel and recognized my brother's handwriting,...

My good friend, a Pennsylvania resident, retired last week. She plans to do a lot of traveling. For starters, she'll go to California and another warm-climate area. When I called to congratulate her on her final day, she said, "Don't forget, I'm coming to visit you." Then, she added...

I've been knee-deep in wrapping paper, ribbon and bows, Scotch tape and scissors. Yes, we've cut back as all the experts have said to. We spent much less money than we usually do, but we have young grandchildren and I want them to have gifts to open. I feel the same as I did nearly...

If anyone were to ask me, I would say my childhood was happy. We lived in a nice house near Lake Harriet. I attended a good school. My parents were still in love and the word divorce was never mentioned in our good Catholic home. My life was full: Girl Scouts, ballet and piano lessons...