by Susan | Aug 6, 2023 | Hannah, On My Mind
Yesterday we celebrated Hannah’s 24th birthday. She spent her summer primarily down in Brunswick, so we were prepared for the six-hour round trip to take her out to dinner and celebrate. Luckily, at the last minute, Hannah could head home for the weekend. Yay...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Twenty-six years ago today, I married Paul. He didn’t need glasses back then. He couldn’t hold back the laughter and tears this morning as he gave me an anniversary. I have to post it here to hang onto this memory. Happy Anniversary, Paul!
by Susan | May 31, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
I’m learning that when a loved one dies, there’s a stage of needing to hold on to their belongings – as if having those items close somehow strengthens our connection to them. I am finding this true with my mom. There are keepsakes she wanted me to...
by Susan | May 17, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Mom passed away two months ago, on March 17th. Today I received a gift from her – something ordered months ago before we knew cancer would rule the rest of her days. Shopping was mom’s favorite way to care for those she loved. Unexpected boxes would arrive...
by Susan | Apr 29, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
Mom became ill in November 2021. She put off seeing a doctor for a bit, and when she did, the doctor took a wait-and-see approach. By Christmas week 2021, she was in the hospital for fluids and tests. Seven hundred miles away here in Maine, it was hard to find our...
by Susan | Apr 3, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
We first understood that my mom was seriously ill on Christmas Eve, 2021. In 2022 she experienced two hospital stays – one very long after which they sent her home without hope. Two months later, in March, during one of my frequent visits to Pennsylvania, we took mom...
by Susan | Feb 27, 2023 | Family, On My Mind
My mom and dad. February 27th was their anniversary. Here’s what 63 years of marriage looks like. Keep scrolling. 😊
by Susan | Jan 25, 2023 | On My Mind
Wednesday is a work-from-home day, so I got up early this morning and mixed up a batch of pineapple carrot muffins with pecans. I didn’t think anything of it when the oven came up to temperature unusually quick. I popped the muffins in and then smelled something...
by Susan | Jan 21, 2023 | On My Mind
One month into official winter, it looks more like Christmas than ever. Ice and sleet last weekend and five inches of snow this weekend. The snow makes a beautiful landscape with the soft winter light. The pond pictured above is frozen over once again. Our first year...
by Susan | Dec 25, 2022 | On My Mind
Christmas morning 2022 is our second morning without power. Our generator operates one outlet in the kitchen, so it’s a constant rotation of plugging in what’s most important. The coffee maker. The internet. The toaster. The instapot. And this morning, the...
by Susan | Dec 24, 2022 | On My Mind
It’s a bit of an adventure this Christmas Eve. The house is clean. Presents are wrapped. I’ve got a plan for the holiday menu. All is on track for a happy Christmas. There’s just one little bump in the road. We lost power around 11 pm last evening,...
by Susan | Nov 24, 2022 | On My Mind
I find myself in a cranky mood lately, a bit of a funk that’s hard to shake. There are lots of things in my world that have frustrated me. A new heat pump installed on October 21st has yet to be connected to the electricity by the company, so it’s useless....
by Susan | Aug 8, 2022 | Hannah, On My Mind
Hannah’s birthday was on Friday (Happy 23!). Given that she’s adulting and had to work both Friday and the better part of Saturday, we planned to celebrate Saturday evening. Unexpectedly, our 18-year-old oven stopped working on Friday. An early Saturday...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Twenty-five years.A quarter of a century.The best years of my life have been with this man.Thank you, Paul, for your love, your patience, the adventures, the quiet times, the crazy times, and a wonderful child who is more like you every day.I love you! Other...
by Susan | Jul 17, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Today we celebrate my dad’s 86th birthday. It’s been a rough year for my family, with mom in the hospital twice. I’ve made four trips to Pennsylvania so far to visit with mom and dad, and I’ve treasured every one of them. The older I get, the...
by Susan | Jul 1, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Our text with Hannah as Paul and I drove home from the Augusta VA.
by Susan | May 8, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
Hannah arrived this morning with plans to spend the day doing whatever I wanted and cook dinner for me. She brought this beautiful bouquet. I think she was as excited to give it to me as I was to receive it. It was spectacular – created by our friend Christina...
by Susan | Apr 9, 2022 | On My Mind
I was home from my 12-day Pennsylvania trip for just two nights before I was on the road again. This time to Togus VA Medical Center in Augusta, Maine, with Paul, where he had surgery to remove a tumor from his neck. His surgery went as well as it possibly could....
by Susan | Feb 6, 2022 | Family, On My Mind
My paternal grandfather, John Reynolds Bender, attended Wittenberg University in the early 1930s. My mom attended in the late 1950s, and the tradition continued when I graduated from Wittenberg in 1986. This picture of grandpa is from the 1934 WU yearbook. John Bender...
by Susan | Jan 11, 2022 | Hannah, On My Mind
Yesterday was a momentous day. We moved Hannah into her first apartment. It’s a lovely little one-bedroom situated over a barn just 2.25 miles away. Finding rents Downeast is a challenge. Good rentals are far and few between. In this instance, a friend of a...
