stories
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Unseen
Yesterday, at the grocery store, a woman came up to me as I was perusing the salads and said, “I wish you could see your hair in the sunlight. It looks so beautiful.” I hate grocery shopping. I only do it super early in the morning, right when the store opens. And I usually do Continue reading
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You Don’t Belong Here Anymore
I often dream of my old home, of all the rooms I used to know, familiar stairs, doorways, and halls, and the pear tree out the window. I find myself there, all alone, remembering how things were before, when the new owners suddenly appear, and tell me, “You don’t belong here anymore.” rooms tinged with Continue reading
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Snow
Winter has been difficult. I don’t know why I expect it to be different, year to year. It is always the hardest season for me. But this winter has been especially challenging. I have felt its coldness all the way through my bones. In November, shortly after Thanksgiving, I had to say goodbye to my Continue reading
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Pride
Coming to terms with one’s sexuality is be a challenge I never really thought I would face. Admittedly, there were rumors in high school and college that I was a lesbian, mainly because I didn’t date, but primarily had friendships with other girls and did not outwardly express attraction to men very often (at least Continue reading
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Fever Dream
In the continuing saga of “Allie’s Many Ailments,” I contracted both the flu and tonsillitis last week. It was the first time I have had to call off work in almost twelve years – the last time was Snowmageddon in 2011. I have also never been more miserable, including the conjunctivitis/hypertension/respiratory infection debacle of last Continue reading
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Lost
2023 has been off to a rocky start, despite my best intentions. I aimed to have positive beginnings in both 2021 and 2022 as well, to no avail. But this one has been somewhat different in tone. I have felt more hesitant, more afraid – but also more eager for change. Over the course of Continue reading
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Vacation, All I Never Wanted
Allow me to preface this post by saying that I am fully aware the following story has a “first world problems” vibe, but sometimes, I just want to complain. Thus, I’m going to. This post will also contain descriptions of some rather gross medical conditions, but no pictures, so here is a trigger warning for Continue reading
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Rainbow
On a recent flight, I looked out the window and saw that we were flying past a gorgeous rainbow. Unfortunately, my phone was off and in my bag, and by the time I dug it out and turned it on, this photo was all I could capture. A little fragment was left. A mere slice Continue reading
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The Old Days
Before there were podcasts, when television was still in its infancy, the internet was unheard of, and streaming platforms were a distant dream of the future, folks listened to the radio. When I was a child, my father introduced me to old radio shows. Many of these were detective classics, like Johnny Dollar, Sam Spade, Continue reading
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The Great Zoltar
While doing some after-dinner shopping while on vacation a couple of weeks ago, my mom, sister, and I wandered into a new-agey mineral shop. I enjoyed perusing the crystals and geodes, but what ultimately drew my attention was the fortuneteller machine by the door. It was a good one, too – just like Zoltar from Continue reading
Frostwritten 