Now that I’m half-vaccinated, I’ve been trying to make breakfast plans with a half-vaccinated friend. We’re still leery of eating indoors, so our first dilemma was finding a breakfast place with outdoor dining. (Panera!) The first time we tried, we had to cancel because the forecast was for …

My husband and I are both half-vaccinated now, so we celebrated with a half-vacation, hitting the open road for a trip to the exciting metropolis of … oh, who am I kidding. We went to Leeds to check out the new Buc-ee’s.

I’ve been enjoying not just the sights but also the sounds of spring. The birds singing in the suddenly green trees, the spring peepers chirping in the pond near the grocery store, the dulcet sounds of James Spann on the TV in the background …

I have an appointment for a COVID vaccine! I became eligible for a vaccine this week because I work in the media. (And, OK, maybe I’m also eligible because I’m in the 55-and-up age group.) I thought I might be skittish about rejoining society after I’m fully vaccinated, but no. Turns out I w…

The Oscar nominations were announced this week, and I asked my husband — the film buff in the family — to quiz me on my extensive knowledge of new movies.

Some friends recently gifted a tub of candy to me and my husband — alas, my husband did not get any — but it was like no candy I’d ever seen before. 

Last weekend, I volunteered as a judge at the annual Black Heritage Festival oratory competition at the Anniston museum. I’ve been a judge for the past few years, and it’s always a high-energy event, with dozens of kids, all ages, taking the stage to recite poems and speeches. There are usua…

Pop quiz: How do you say the word “misled”?

I don’t know much about the sports, but I do love Super Bowl week. I am particularly excited this year because it’s Super Bowl No. 55, which translated into Roman is LV. It’s the Super Bowl of love, baby!

I have a new favorite pandemic activity: jigsaw puzzles.

As a native Texan, I’ve always prided myself on my ability to eat spicy foods. Chili, enchiladas, salsa, jalapenos, jalapenos stuffed with cheese, jalapenos stuffed with cheese and then deep-fried …

I recently commandeered an old fleece vest that belonged to my son. When I put it on, a little shiver of excitement ran through me because NEW CLOTHES. I realized I have been wearing the same 12 items of clothing for almost a year now.

The dog and I have been taking walks two or three times a day. We’re becoming well acquainted with the other neighborhood dogs: Callie the black Lab. Jake the Irish setter. Rex the Royal. Rocket the Dog with No Tail. Hurricane the Aptly Named Doodle.

Hey, we made it over the finish line to 2021! Granted, I was limping and I wasn’t wearing shoes, but I made it. The end of the year has me in a retrospective mood, which I’m not sure is a good thing, but I can’t stop myself from looking back at the dumpster fire that was 2020.

Introducing the first-ever, annual (if I can remember to do it again next year) Naughty and Nice awards for the holidays! 

’Twas the night before Christmas (actually, it’s 13 nights before Christmas).

Over the years, I have watched my neighbors embark on home improvement projects in the weeks leading up to the holidays, putting in landscape lighting, painting walls, recovering chairs. Last weekend I was serenaded by the sound of the neighbors power-washing their driveway.

In normal years, our family Thanksgiving dinners are small. It’s usually just me and my husband, our two kids and my husband’s parents.

It’s been a year since we moved into our new house, and to celebrate our first anniversary, I am going to make toast.

ME: Remember a year ago, when I started huffing and puffing whenever I walked uphill?

Remember when we chalked messages of hope on driveways and put cute teddy bears in windows? That was what, five years ago?

About a month ago, the dog developed a nerve condition and needed to start taking pain pills. The only way she would take the pain pills was if I hid them in a bowl of fancy dog food.