The Ladies of Forest Trace Are Happy
“So?” my mother said when I answered the phone.“So?” I said back to her, though I suspected I knew why she was calling. It was Wednesday morning, the day after Election Day and Florida had delivered...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Bertha & Governing From the Left
This time I initiated the call.“I’m really upset.”“With what darling?”“About Barack Obama’s choice of who to deliver the invocation at his inauguration.”“You mean that minister who doesn’t believe in...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: A Time for Prose
“Yesterday, I felt a little disappointed.” It was Wednesday, the day after Barack Obama was inaugurated, and my hundred year-old mother was calling to talk about how she thought it went.She had been an...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Civics Lesson
“I know it’s only a little more than two weeks since he was inaugurated, but I’m feeling worried about his ability to lead and run the government.” I had just placed a call to my hundred-year-old...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Definitions Republican Style
“I’ve only got a minute.” It was my mother calling.“Me too. Are you OK?”“I’m fine. I’m fine. But I have to run in a moment. It’s one of the girls 100th birthday and they’re having a pizza party for her...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Nancy
I hadn’t seen my 100 year-old mother so upset since the Reverend Wright surfaced. At that time she wasn’t as much concerned about Barack Obama’s association with him as she was worried that it would...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: The Girls Take Stock
“How long has it been?” It was my nearly 101 year-old mother calling.I assumed she meant how long since we had come to see her. “I don’t know, maybe two weeks.” I was feeling guilty. After all we had...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Pepi
“I know you will be leaving for New York in an hour.” It was my nearly 101 year-old mother calling, I presumed, to wish us a safe trip. For decades this has been a tradition which by now has assumed...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Fear Itself
I was late for a meeting and decided to let the answering machine pick up the call. From the hall I could hear that it was my 101 year-old mother who was calling from Florida. When someone is that...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Mom Turns 101
My mother turned 101 yesterday and you can only imagine all the excitement. Not just about the number, which is something, but because she is doing so well. The ladies in the Jennie Room where she...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Pollyannas
“I only have a few minutes,” it was my 101 year-old mother calling from Florida, “so just be still and listen.”“I’m in no hurry. So take your time.” She sounded breathless and I worried that maybe she...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Basal Cell Carcinoma
“I’m calling to see how he is doing.” It was my 101 year-old mother who lives at Forest Trace, a retirement community near Ft. Lauderdale.I was in the midst of a project and for a moment didn’t know...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: "It's All Because He's Black"
“The ladies are saying that they don’t want socialized medicine. So I say to them, ‘You’re on Medicare, right? And you have no complaints, right? Well, maybe a few. And they say to me, ‘We like what we...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Exerting Leadership
“I only have a minute.” It was my 101-year-old mother calling from her retirement community in Florida.“Is everything all right? You sound out of breath.”“I’m fine for an old lady but like I told you I...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: Obama Knew
“What you’ve been writing on that blog, or whatever you call it, misses the whole point.”My more than 101 year-old mother was calling from Forest Trace, the retirement community in south Florida where...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace--More Book Burning
“Why do things like this always have to happen to us in Florida?”“What kinds of things, mom?” I asked my more than 102-year-old mother who was calling, all upset, from Forest Trace, the retirement...
View ArticleThe Ladies of Forest Trace: What He's Made Of
"Did you see what Paul Kugelman wrote?"I knew she meant, Paul Krugman op-ed columnist for the New York Times. My 102-and-a-half year old mother is devoted to him but always refers to him that way. I...
View ArticleLadies of Forest Trace: Family of Nations
“I know you’re coming here later to take me to Publix—I need fruit and some milk to drink with my Ensure—but I don’t want to spoil the visit by talking about politics, and so I’m calling.”“That’s all...
View ArticleLadies of Forest Trace: More Than Two Lifetimes
Even before we could get to Logan Airport to catch our flight to Ft. Lauderdale to celebrate my mother’s 103rd birthday, she was calling my cell phone.This was unusual. Like many of her generation, my...
View ArticleLadies of Forest Trace: Breaking News
"Did you see the breaking news?" My 103-year-old mother was calling from Forest Trace, the retirement community in Lauderhill, Florida where she lives."After this past week with Hurricane Irene I...
View Article