The following is the uncut version of an essay I wrote about my mother that aired on WVTF Public Radio on Friday. For some behind-the-scenes details on the writing of and recording of it, see Things That Make Me Need Extra Deodorant. You can go to the WVTF webpage to hear me reading. Last December […]
That’s me, a 5’ 1” mom standing on my toes to pose with my 6’2’ son, Josh, in front of a display of pots that were part of the show he was a co-curator of. The exhibit opened at Asheville’s American Folk Gallery and was the result of a grant that Josh and his colleague, […]
We both enjoy the goofy, the gooey, and the giddy. Meet my nephew, Patrick, also known as “My Little Prodigy.” Every one in our family says that, apart from our hair coloring being different, he looks just like me when I was his age. This past December when I was home for my father’s funeral, […]
My youngest son, Dylan, is 24! I’ve always told him that he was born the day before Valentine’s Day because he’s such a “sweetheart.” This photo was taken when he was 6years old, but the questions below were asked when he was 4 ½ as were part of an interview done for “The Dolphin Messenger,” […]
Sherry was still on crutches when she came to live with me in my first apartment in Quincy. It was the early 70’s, a time when the flower child innocence of the 60’s was just beginning to sour. But we were still innocent and because we worked in a factory together, we call this period […]
“I WANT THIS PLACE LOOKING LIKE A MILLION BUCKS BY THE TIME YOUR MOTHER GETS HOME!” was a family anthem, coined by my father and heard often when we were growing up. He would usually end it for good effect with “OR HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL!” … Here’s another Redman anthem from our childhood (recited […]
He was an artillery soldier in Patton’s army, and he always maintained that the only reason he survived the war was because of the big cannon-like gun he stood behind. Standing behind his “Long Tom,” surviving the war when so many didn’t, is probably where his trademark saying began: “Somebody upstairs must like me.” ~ […]
Love makes people ferocious. ~ Michael Mead My family tends to go through dramatic events in pairs. First there was a sister and a brother who were both hit by cars when they were teenagers. Both were pedestrians about the same age and needing to change the life course they were on when it […]
It’s my sister Kathy’s granddaughter, Isabel, taken by her mom, Beth. My Little Prodigy #1 can be found here.
My husband, Joe, and I first visited my cousin Bobby and his wife Rose in Breckenridge Colorado ten years ago. Even though it was mid-June, we still had to use a snowmobile to get to their snow covered mountain top home at an elevation of 11,000 feet. Bob, part die-hard tattooed flower child, part independent […]
This is a photo of me and my brother Bob. One of us voted for and still supports Bush. The other thinks he’s ruined U.S. credibility and should be recalled or impeached. You could say we’re on opposite ends of the spectrum, but when you add to the equation that Bob leans towards Libertarianism and […]
AKA: This is Us Someday I love women and what they share together. As one of 4 sisters, this photo of my father’s 4 sisters has a particularly touching relevance. It was recently posted on The LoveLink, an email group of mostly Redman siblings a few Redman family fans, under the subject title: This is […]
