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Gallery
God Rest We Weary Working Moms
I'm developing some slide shows that should be ready in two weeks.* Meanwhile, enjoy a few of my favorite photos.
This is my dad in 1956 as a high school sophomore with his new typewriter. About 15 years later, when I was in junior high, I used the same typewriter to create booklets of lyrics to my favorite songs from the radio.
This is me in 1999, displaying my first book contract! That computer lacked the longevity of dad's typewriter. I remember thinking that a computer was a major, once-in-a-lifetime purchase -- like a refrigerator or a stove. Now I'm resigned to buying a new laptop every two years or so.
This is Neal and me during our college days, ca. 1981.
Photography was a hobby of his back then, and he took this shot using a tripod and timer. I was so impressed!
Neal was a city boy from St. Louis who called soft drinks "soda," not "pop" like I did. He also introduced me to bagels and cream cheese which I, being a Kansas girl, had never tasted before. Don't laugh, but I mistakenly thought bagels were only available in New York city. But hey, when I met people from the coast and told them I was from Kansas, they asked --seriously -- if we had electricity. The sillies. Of course we had electricity! Every other Saturday night the county courthouse would turn on a single light bulb and people would drive for miles in covered wagons just to see it.
Everyone in the Stack family loves to read! In this photo, my son Andrew, about 1 month old, slept while I read Island of the Blue Dolphins to Elizabeth, age 8. Andrew is now taller than I am (and he's only 12!), but he and I still enjoy reading out loud together. Currently, we're on Tears of a Dragon, book four of the Dragons in Our Midst series by Bryan Davis. Having Norwegian blood, we also enjoyed reading the Viking Quest series by Lois Walfrid Johnson. Her outstanding writing and intriguing characters will capture the imagination of girls as much as boys.
Just look at that face! Irresistible!
Our household had two cats, which on most days I considered two cats too many. Then one day in Septmber 2006, my son and I saw a yellow kitten outside -- obviously alone and fading fast. My daughter bribed him inside with bits of tuna. He was malnourished, dehydrated and scared.
We immediately quarrantined him in the half-bath and I vowed to take him to an animal shelter the next day. We also mistakenly named him Padme, the plebian name of Queen Amidala from Star Wars. Yes, Padme is a girl's name. Let's just say when the kitty's pertinent regions were flashed at me from across the kitchen for identification, I made a mistake. Ahem.
Moving right along. I fully intended to give Mikey away, but we became too attached to each other. How could that not happen? He slept in my hand at night and followed me around like a puppy during the day.
I never thought I'd be one of those sappy pet owners who post pictures of their little darlings online. It doesn't seem very professional, and I'd always considered myself more of a dog person. But I had to. Mikey said so.
*If you've seen the movie "Money Pit" starring Tom Hanks and Shelly Long, you know exactly what "two weeks" means. Their characters bought a house needing serious renovation. Month after month passed, yet every time they asked the contractor how much longer until completion, they heard the same thing: "Two weeks."