Where do I even start? Ah, in utero! My mother was a cellist and played Bach Suites long before I was conceived. My father was a pianist and knew all the jazz standards of the 1930s and ’40s, before, as he would put it, my mother was a “glimmer in his eye.” Together, they played music hundreds of years old....

Apparently, I am a workaholic, even though I haven’t had a “real” job for years. I applied to be a dishwasher last year and was not even called for an interview. I was a waitress in 1956 — that might have been too revealing for the employer. Their loss.

I entered a crowded restaurant and noticed a table of eight sitting with bowed heads. I thought, “How sweet, they are saying grace.” As I walked by, I saw they were all praying to their cell phones. Three generations riveted to technology. I have lived long but still carry memories of my grandmother and mothe...

I grew up believing all things are possible, born in the “land of the free” with “liberty and justice for all.” The past few months have been a huge challenge to my belief system. I won’t digress here — you read the news and listen to the broadcasts. You have personal experiences at the grocery store (you eve...

Well, maybe it is for some things — I’m not going to be a ballerina, although I did sign up for ballet classes when I turned 80. It was great for balance, flexibility and short-term memory. I was not preparing for the corps de ballet, so there was no pressure to perform. Two years ago, a friend who is a big r...

Seriously, how would you feel if …

While there are many directions to go with “it,” I choose the following one for now. As far back as I can remember, I have understood and practiced the policy of working with people who are smarter than I. Starting in kindergarten and throughout early education, I had teachers who were smarter than I. I learn...

Some might have preferred knowing me before I could talk, before I had strong opinions and started using banned vocabulary. Apparently, as we age, memories seep in from earlier flashbacks in our lives. I am increasingly aware of times when I was hearing, touching, seeing, exploring objects I could reach with ...

I was surprised, perhaps shocked, to open a local newsletter recently with a photo of me with my violin. I don’t think of myself as a violinist. Happily, it was taken by a very fine photographer, so I relaxed and enjoyed the moment. I do play the violin. A lot! I play nearly every day in duets, trios, quartet...

I am at an age where I might forget what I was looking for in the garage, but I can still recite the Pledge of Allegiance and countless nursery rhymes. As a child, I read along, memorized and repeated over the years each of these “sweet” nursery rhymes without thinking about the horrors behind the words. I no...