A Cup of Tea and My TBR List

God Bless Us, Everyone

We all know it’s been a hard year. There’s no getting around it. It’s been tough to get into the Christmas spirit without feeling a little bit like I’m going through the motions. The struggle between wanting to spend it with family and wanting to keep everyone safe and healthy has been a hard one. Do I want to hug my family and open gifts together? Of course. Will I settle for a Zoom gift exchange instead? Absolutely, if it means we will all still be here come spring.

So this year, sticking to the traditions we can keep has been important for me. One of those is reading A Christmas Carol. Ok, I listened to it this year, but I’m counting that. It got me through one long gloomy afternoon of remote working, huddled at my desk at home like Bob Cratchit. When even Christmas music can’t shake a bad mood, you’ve got to call in the big guns. Having A Christmas Carol read to me by someone with a British accent totally did the trick.

A Christmas Carol was my Dad’s favorite book. He read a lot of Charles Dickens, but this was an annual read for him too. I know he read it to us when we were little at least once. Probably more than once. So, it was important to me to keep up the tradition, this year especially.

See, we’ve had a lot of loss this year. In the span of seven months, we’ve lost my dad, father-in-law, grandfather and uncle. It’s a lot for one year, and I know that my family is not alone in this. With more than 320,000 deaths in the US alone, it kind of makes Scrooge’s line about decreasing the surplus population a little more poignant this year.

But A Christmas Carol has always been a message of hope for me. Even a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching, covetous old sinner” can see the error of his ways and learn to care about his fellow man.

If you grew up in Rhode Island, like I did, you are now probably singing the “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, clutching, covetous” line, because you’ve probably seen Trinity Rep‘s version of A Christmas Carol. For years, attending was a family tradition. The first year we went, I think I was 6 or 7. The actor playing Jacob Marley flew across the stage and landed in the aisle next to my seat. I was terrified. I thought he was a real ghost. I was so happy to learn that Trinity Rep would continue the tradition, albeit in a slightly different fashion this year by offering a free, video version of the show filmed at various locations around Rhode Island. I can’t wait to watch!

As a child of the 70s, my all time favorite Scrooge is, of course, Mister Magoo. I never miss it and was super happy to find it on Peacock this year. George C Scott is my second favorite. We even watched the Patrick Stewart version last night, and I enjoyed that as well. One of these years I’m going to try to watch them all.

So, yes, 2020 has been a hard year. But Christmas is here and 2021 is just around the corner. There’s a new vaccine and there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. So I’m going to take a lesson from the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come and keep Christmas in my heart as much as I can this year and look forward to better days ahead.

To quote old Ebenezer Scrooge: “Heaven and the Christmas Time be praised…”

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

So, I drifted away from ghost stories in October and found myself entrenched in a vampire book instead. “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” audiobook popped up as available on hoopla and since I’d been meaning to read it, I jumped on it.

It begins with Patricia Campbell who, along with a handful of friends, leaves the boring, stuffy neighborhood book club. The group form their own non-book-club and read mostly true crime. Eventually, Patricia wishes for some excitement in the real world, not just in the books she reads.

Her wish is almost immediately granted when she is attacked by an elderly neighbor who she discovers digging through her trash. Soon after, she meets James Harris – a charismatic young man who is new to town. He quickly ingratiates himself into the neighborhood.

But, children are dying in the less affluent parts of town, and the women become suspicious. I’ll leave the story there, as I don’t want to give away the best parts.

It was both funny and scary in a way that I like a book to be. I laughed out loud at some points and lived the characters panic at others. Definitely recommend if you are a fan of vampire fiction. I believe I read that Grady Hendrix described his intent as writing what would happen if Dracula met his mother.

I’m definitely planning to check out some other books by Hendrix – I’ve added “My Best Friend’s Exorcism” to my TBR list to start.

Rating: 4 stars

Favorite line: “What’s the point of free love if nobody showers?” (As part of the book club’s discussion about Helter Skelter…another book on my TBR list)

Tea: You have to go with sweet tea for a book about a southern book club. My go to for iced tea these days is Bigelow’s Perfect Peach.

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan

Continuing the October theme of supernatural books, I’ve just finished The Keeper of Lost Things, which also has a ghost. A ghost who is much less corporeal than Annie Van Sinderen, but a ghost nonetheless.

Anthony Peardew is the original keeper of lost things, collecting abandoned objects in hopes of someday returning them to their rightful owners. He does this because he has lost something precious and hopes it will some day be returned to him. He has also lost Therese, the love of his life, who died shortly before they were due to be married.

Anthony leaves his house and his legacy to Laura, his housekeeper and assistant, with the stipulation that she do her best to return all the lost items. Laura, along with Sunshine, a nineteen year old girl with Down’s Syndrome, and Freddy, the gardener, sets out to fulfill Anthony’s wishes and help Therese’s ghost reunite with him. Therese, in the meantime, fills the house with the scent of roses and the song “The Very Thought of You”, leaving clues that only Sunshine seems to get.

Intertwined with Laura’s story is the tale of Eunice and Bomber, who eventually figure in to the search for the owners of lost items. While not exactly the love story of Anthony and Therese, there is a love of sorts between these two film buffs. They both have a habit of quoting lines from their favorite films. (Something I am guilty of myself, frequently.)

We also get the stories behind the lost things – a blue button from a coat, a jigsaw puzzle piece, some green hair bobbles. My favorite is a white umbrella with red hearts left at the Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. Not all the lost things have happy endings, but their stories fit perfectly with the rest of the narrative. It reminded me very much of Tom Hanks’ instagram photos of lost gloves and shoes.

There’s a lot of tea involved as well. Laura is initially drawn to Anthony and his house because of his use of a tray cloth when he serves her tea. Sunshine is fond of making anyone and everyone “the lovely cup of tea.” This is also the second place recently that I’ve seen the phrase “Shall I be mother” in offering to pour the tea. I’d never heard it before, but I love it. I may start using it myself.

Rating: 3 stars

Favorite line: It’s a toss up between these two:

“He made a pot of tea, finding more comfort in the making than the drinking…” This rang so true to me – I often find myself calm and centered just from the simple act of making tea.

The other made me laugh – from Sunshine as they were spreading Anthony’s ashes: “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, funk to punky. We know Major Tom’s a monkey.” I love a good Bowie reference, even if it’s a misheard lyric.

Tea: I mean, it had to be English Breakfast, didn’t it? Having just received samples of teapigs morning glory english breakfast in my latest Sips by box, I decided to pair it with this book. It does indeed make “the lovely cup of tea.”

I can’t say enough good about Sips by. For $15 a month, I get a box of four different teas…and so far haven’t found one I didn’t like. I’m not getting anything in exchange for saying this…I just love it that much! Want to try it out for yourself? Save $5 on your first box with this link.

The Appearance of Annie Van Sinderen by Katherine Howe

October is my favorite month, and not just because it contains my birthday. It’s also the time of year for all things supernatural. I love Halloween and I’m not ashamed to admit that it’s only October 6 and I’ve already watched Hocus Pocus. So, it seemed fitting to start this month with a ghost story. Although, as Katherine Howe says in her Author’s Note – it’s “a ghost story that never used the word ghost.”

Fair warning – I’m trying not to get too spoiler-ish, but a tidbit or two might sneak through. Just a heads up in case you haven’t read the book.

Young Wes Auckerman is attending a summer film program at NYU in hopes of being accepted into the college full time in the fall. While helping a friend with his student film, Wes attends a seance and meets two girls that night: Annie, who is gone before the night ends, and Maddie, who intrigues him and gets him to buy her a pizza.

Annie finds herself shifting between her “real” life in 1825 and the present day. She is reliving the week leading up to the opening of the Erie Canal and the Grand Celebration that accompanied it, a pivotal point for her.

While Annie struggles to understand what is happening to her, Wes and his friends join forces to help her move on. Maddie, who seems oddly familiar to Wes, also intrigues him and he soon finds himself torn between the two girls.

I found the history of the book fascinating, and the interplay between Wes, his friends, and Annie kept me interested straight through. Because I read so much, it’s hard to surprise me, but there were enough twists and turns to keep me entertained.

I’ve been a huge fan of Katherine Howe since I read “The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane” several years ago. I’m a sucker for anything to do with witches, and that was a great read. My book club read “Conversion” a few years ago as well, and while our group had mixed reviews, I enjoyed it very much.

Rating: Four stars

Reason for reading: Passed to me by Mom, and as I said, I’m a fan of Katherine Howe.

Favorite Line: “I’m a Rip Van Winkle”

Tea: Plum Deluxe Full Moon Chai Tea – purchased as part of their Supernatural Trio (three teas to commemorate the end of the series.) I’ve been on a bit of a chai kick lately and this is one of my favorites so far. Just the right combination of soothing and spicy.

Photo note: The statue was a gift from Uncle Art – I don’t know who she is or anything about where she came from, but she seemed like she might fit into Annie’s era.

Stay tuned for more spookiness as October unfolds. Especially since I’m continuing on my quest to read all of Stephen King. I’m moving very quickly through the 70’s and will have a blog post on those as soon as I’m done.

Happy Haunting!

East Coast Girls by Kerry Kletter…and how I learned to love audiobooks

I’ve always been sort of resistant to audiobooks. I tried listening to them here and there, mostly while walking. My mind wandered too much and I would find myself losing large chunks of the narrative.

Working from home has given me a whole new appreciation of the audiobook. With two of us sharing our small home office for a good part of the day, I spend a lot of time plugged into earbuds. I have always needed music for reading, studying, working, doing the dishes, whatever. But one morning, just for a little variety, I downloaded an audiobook from Hoopla. I’ve been listening to books while I work most mornings since March.

If you’re not familiar with Hoopla, it’s fantastic. It links to your library card and they have everything – e-books, audiobooks, tv shows, movies and even music. You get 12 downloads a month. I’ve even been able to download movies and use Airplay to send them to my TV from my iPhone. The wonders of technology!

So, with the help of Hoopla, I’ve been chipping away at my to read list. According to my audiobooks shelf on Goodreads, I have listened to 21 books since we started isolating back in March. My favorites by far have been Rebecca (which has been on my TBR list forever) and Carrie (read by Sissy Spacek).

I’ve just this week finished East Coast Girls by Kerry Kletter. It tells the story of four friends – Maya, Blue, Hannah, and Renee – who spent their teenage summers together at the beach. The novel takes you from the present day to a night twelve years earlier which changed all of their lives forever.

As their reunion unfolds, each woman comes to terms with her part in their terrible past, and faces her current struggle. Like The Oysterville Sewing Circle, East Coast Girls is a book about women supporting each other through hard times. Seems to be a common theme with the books I’m reading lately.

Rating: 3 stars

Reason for reading: I’m a sucker for a beach book, especially one about a reunion of old friends.

Tea: Miracle Tree Chai Moringa Energy Infusion — I got this in one of my Sips by boxes and love it. Tastes fabulous and has enough caffeine to keep me going on the mornings I don’t have coffee.

If you’re interested in a Sips by subscription, message me for a referral link that will save $5 on your first box. And look for me on Instagram at @acupofteaandmytbrlist for more tea and book content.

The Oysterville Sewing Circle…and a socially distant NH getaway

What would you do with six hours of time just to yourself? That’s a no-brainer for me. Read and drink tea.

We took a quick two-night trip to New Hampshire last weekend. Tom had a wedding to shoot on Saturday, which left me with six or seven hours of alone time in our Airbnb condo, and no responsibilities. I thought briefly about checking in to my work email, but quickly dismissed that idea.

Aside from a quick walk to the nearby plaza for gelato, I spent most of the afternoon and evening sitting on our balcony reading. I’d brought along the Zen tea as a companion to the book I was reading: “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.” I have to say, I didn’t love that one, and after a chapter, I put it aside in favor of “The Oysterville Sewing Circle” by Susan Wiggs.

After her fashion career hits disaster, Caroline inherits her friend’s two small children, and retreats from New York City to her hometown in Washington. Caroline builds a new life with the help of her family and friends, old and new.

Underlying everything is the shadow of her friend’s abuse and subsequent death. Caroline, in an attempt to understand and to help the kids, reaches out to other survivors of domestic abuse and the Oysterville Sewing Circle is born.

There is a lot about women supporting each other in this book, and that is something I have been fortunate to have in my life. Coming from a large family of pretty strong women, I have never felt like I couldn’t ask for help if I needed it. (Although not asking for help is a bit of a family trait.) It was nice to see Caroline both accepting support and giving it to the women in her family and community.

Overall rating for this book: 3 stars (out of 5)

Reason for reading: I’ve been a fan of Susan Wiggs for quite a while, and have read several of her books

This copy came from: my sister Erin, who is one of the major feeders of my book addiction. We swap books often.

Favorite line: “Ice cream is not as good as a shot is bad.” (I loathe needles and totally agreed with 6-year-old Flick.)

Tea: Tazo Zen Tea – perfect for an afternoon of solitude and calm.

The rest of our trip to New Hampshire was mostly focused on beer and food. Lunch at Schilling Beer Company in Littleton was our first time dining out since March. We sat outside and I had a Berlinerweisse with raspberry syrup. It went perfectly with the soft pretzel and poutine we shared for lunch. It may have been the best poutine I’ve ever eaten, but how can you go wrong with french fries drowning in brown gravy and chunks of Cabot cheese?

After checking in to our Airbnb, we hit up Aloto Gelato for coffees and took a sight seeing ride down the Kancamagus Highway, followed by dinner at the Woodstock Inn and a night of beers on the balcony. Despite warnings of bear sightings in the area, I am sad to say, we didn’t see any this trip.

Saturday brought a mellow morning with White Mountain Bagels for breakfast and a walk along the Pemigewasset River before Tom headed off to the wedding and I settled in for my afternoon of solitude.

It’s a little odd to be looking for solitude while we have all been quarantining for so many months. But as an introvert, I need my alone time to turn off my brain, not talk to anyone, and recharge my mental batteries.

Our attempts to hike on Sunday morning were thwarted by the weather, so we changed up our plans and made a lunch reservation at Stoneface Brewing Co in Newington. I was happy to just sit outside, drink a beer, and eat a burger and fries. Their Farmhouse Noir was my favorite beer of our trip.

One other highlight of our trip – we hit the NH Liquor & Wine Outlet to stock up on Cabot Trail Maple Cream Liquor. You can’t get it in RI, so a trip north always means stocking up on some maple cream, both for us and for the rest of the family. They only had 4 bottles (which I bought), and when I asked if they had more, the clerk’s response was “More? Is it that good?”

Yes. It’s that good. It’s nice on it’s own over a little ice, and it’s even better in coffee.

A quick trip, after so many months of being home, was exactly what we needed. And yet, we were happy to be back in our own space at the end of the weekend. We’re stocked up on beer and maple cream and I’ve gotten the motivation to restart this blog. So it was definitely a worthwhile trip.

Stay tuned for future book and tea reviews…

Summer fun and a fictional interlude

It’s been a busy summer, and most of my writing time has been devoted to fiction. I am four and a half chapters into the novel I’ve been meaning to write for years. Is it the Great American Novel? Probably not. But I’m writing it anyway.

Aside from that, I’ve been trying to catch up on my reading goals. As of today, according to Goodreads, I’ve read 84 books so far this year, which puts me 11 books behind schedule to get to 155 by the end of the year. I’ve also been working on the Goodreads Summer Reading Challenge – I’ve got 5 books left to go to finish that up.

Hiking and photos at Black Point with Tom

In between reading and writing and working, there have been lots of other activities to keep me busy. June was mostly rain and more rain. But I did get a sunny vacation day hike at Black Point followed by lunch at Iggy’s. I ended my vacation night with “Dips and Del’s” – this month’s alternative to bunco. Everyone brought a different dip – savory or sweet – and we had a fun night of eating and game playing…many laughs as usual.

Peanut Butter Cup Imperial Stout at Trillium

July started with a few days off over the holiday and a weekend trip to Boston with Tom to see Phish at Fenway. A visit to Trillium – and their Peanut Butter Cup Imperial Stout – kicked off the afternoon, followed by lunch at Row 34. A rain delay at Fenway held up the start of the show, but our grandstand seats were nice and dry and I enjoyed watching the lightning out beyond the park. It was a great show, including Wolfman’s Brother – one of my favorites. I’ll be honest, I’m kind of a Phish fan by marriage. I like them, but I’m not really a jam band girl…my mind wanders too much and next thing I know I’m writing a blog post in my head instead of listening to the music.

The following week brought a concert of a different kind – Mom and I headed to The Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. I’ve been a fan since I was a kid and knew him only as the guy who sang that Popeye song. He put on a two-hour show without a break. It got me thinking a lot about my taste in music and how much I really do love rock and roll. Stay tuned for a future post about that.

I had another vacation day in July – a summer pool day and bunco at Mom’s – another crazy day and night of family and fun. The bunco girls teamed up for a special gift of “16 treats” for my nephew Ryan’s 16th birthday. Always one of my favorite nights of any month. As usual, the food was fabulous and I helped myself to the Great Nana special – a little bit of everything at dessert.

Another highlight of July was Hamilton at the Providence Performing Arts Center. I’ve been listening to the soundtrack obsessively for ages so it was a thrill to be able to see the show. We had pretzels for dinner at Malted Barley before the show – it’s a quick and easy walk from the theater and the food is fantastic! I’m slowly working my way through “Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow, and hearing snippets of the soundtrack in my head as I read. (Photo of Ally and Ryan posted with their permission…not that any of their friends are likely to see it.)

Looking forward to August being a bit more mellow – although I’m missing this year’s trip to the Jersey Shore because I couldn’t get this week off. Hopefully next year we’ll finally get our pizza delivered to the beach, Jamie!

Tom has gone with his brother to visit their parents in Alabama, so I’m on my own this week. Reading, writing and eating all the food I know Tom doesn’t like while he’s away. I’m on a mission to clean sweep the house too…already have two bags of clothes to donate. We’ll see how long I drive them around in my car before I finally drop them at the St Gregory’s clothing shed.

It’s been a bit of an adjustment for me this year, not taking most of my vacation time in the summer. Not being tied to the high school calendar any more has freed up my vacation availability somewhat, so I took the week of Columbus Day in October, which just happens to include my birthday. That will be a nice break, but in the meantime it’s been a long hot summer with not much down time. I’ve got the last week of August booked for vacation and I’m very much looking forward to it. Stay tuned!

Everything I need to know, I learned from Trixie Belden

I never liked Nancy Drew. I dabbled with the Hollisters, the Bobbsey Twins, and Cherry Ames. I even read one or two Vicki Barr mysteries. But the teenage detectives that I loved the most were Trixie Belden and her friends, the Bob Whites.

I first read most of the series as a pre-teen and wanted nothing more than to be a Bob White myself. I’ve done multiple re-reads of them since. Mom and Auntie Denise had read the books themselves and between them, bought me most of the series at the first Building 19 store. I recently passed my collection on to my niece Lena, who is now a third generation Trixie fan. We’ve been reading them together, and are currently up to book 10 – The Marshland Mystery.

And, ok, I didn’t actually learn everything I need to know, but I did learn a lot from Trixie and friends. For example, from the very first book (The Secret of the Mansion), I know what to do if someone is bitten by a poisonous snake. I won’t be the one sucking the blood out, but I can tell you how to do it.

I learned genetics in The Mysterious Visitor – two blue-eyed parents can’t have a brown-eyed child. Knowing this fact helps Trixie solve the mystery of her friend Diana’s impostor uncle. A few books later, when the Bob Whites visit Di’s real uncle in The Mystery in Arizona, I was fascinated to read about The Day of the Dead.

The Bob Whites traveled a lot, always learning something new and solving a mystery. In The Mystery at Bob-White Cave I learned the difference between stalagmites and stalactites. (Stalactites hang from the ceiling, stalagmites build up from the floor.) One of my particular favorites of the travel books is The Mystery of the Queen’s Necklace – in which some of the Bob Whites travel to England. It featured both genealogy and Shakespeare, two subjects I very much adore.

It was not until a few years ago that I realized that my love of the “bad boy” in fiction stems from the Trixie series as well. Dan Mangan, former gang member, joins the Bob Whites in book 8 – The Black Jacket Mystery. From that moment on, he was my favorite character. With his slightly dark past and broody demeanor, it’s a short step from Dan to, say, Heathcliff or Mr. Darcy.

I’m not alone in my love of Trixie and her companions. There are numerous fan fiction sites featuring the grown up Bob Whites. I will confess I read a lot of them. In many cases, the Bob Whites are paired up in the couples that the books imply. Trixie is most often matched with Jim Frayne, her supple redheaded neighbor. But in my head, Trixie tires of Jim being “honorable all over the place,” and ends up with Dan.

It’s all speculation, of course, because the series ended after 39 books. It would be wonderful if some publisher would continue the series, probably with an update to modern times. Or a sequel series featuring the children of the Bob Whites. Something like that, as Honey Wheeler would say, would be “perfectly perfect.”

In the meantime, I’ll continue reading the old books and the new fan fiction. I may even try my hand at my own. And I will continue, as I often do in trying situations, to ask myself “what would Trixie Belden do?”

May in review

I did not post much in May as, quite frankly, I’ve been in a bit of a funk for a while. I attribute a lot of that to the weather – it was a particularly gray and rainy spring here in Rhode Island. It’s generally a mood that hits me in February, and I thought I had skipped it this year. But, I did spend a good portion of May wallowing on the couch, not wanting to do very much. I think I’ve come out the other side of that, though.

And, since I’m up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday to try and get Hamilton tickets at PPAC, I thought I’d review my May reading while I’m waiting for my turn in the virtual waiting room. So…for anyone who’s keeping score: books read in May: 12, books read year-to-date: 60, books behind schedule: 3.

In keeping with my mood, I read a lot of books last month with heavy subjects. Oddly, though, some of them were my highest rated reads. I had three “four star” books this month: “The Snow Gypsy” by Lindsay Jayne Ashford, which was about a woman searching for her missing brother after WWII, who connects with a family of gypsies as her search takes her to Spain.

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini told the story of two women in Kabul, set mostly in the 90s and early 2000’s. This one was on my to read list for quite a while, and I’m glad I finally read it, but it was brutal. Still one of the best books I’ve read in a while, though.

My third 4 star book was “Red Dragon” by Thomas Harris – the first Hannibal Lecter book. I have seen (and been terrified by) the movie, and I have to say it is pretty true to the book. There is one scene that has always haunted me and I got goose bumps reading it. For anyone who has seen the movie, I’ll just say – “Do you see?”

Pretty much everything else I read in May was a 3 star book. Interestingly, a few of them came from a box that I rescued from a minor basement flood when our water heater let go. “Red Dragon” was in there, but I also discovered Steinbeck’s “The Winter of our Discontent” and “The Wind is My Mother” by Bear Heart.

“The Wind is My Mother” was interesting, but it struck me more for the memory of where it came from. There used to be a store called Buck-A-Book which was, as the name implies, a store where every book was a dollar. I purchased a lot of books during the short time it was here.

I had two Robyn Carr’s this month – “The Summer That Made Us”, about a family of cousins reuniting at their family’s lake house, and “The Best of Us” – book 4 in the Sullivan’s Crossing series. Another good installment in that series, but I had one complaint – overuse of the word “prolly.” It’s not really a word in my opinion, although I acknowledge that people say it. But Sully’s character said prolly in virtually every conversation he had, sometimes more than once. It was very frustrating and almost made me stop reading. I’m all for using slang in writing, but this was prolly overkill.

Because we briefly reinstated our subscription to HBO in order to watch the last season of Game of Thrones, I also read and watched “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty. I enjoyed the book – it was suspenseful and had great character sketches of each of the women portrayed. I didn’t love the tv series. It was ok, but some of the changes from the book seemed unnecessary. I’m sort of ambivalent as to whether I will watch season 2 before we give up HBO again.

So there’s a recap of my reading highlights for May. And since I seem to be more inclined to write again, I hope to be a more frequent poster in June. Stay tuned…

You may say I’m a dreamer…

…and you’d be right. I have always had very vivid dreams, and most of the time I remember them. I didn’t realize until fairly recently that a lot of people either don’t dream or don’t remember them. I need to put a notebook beside my bed because some of them, I think, would make for interesting fiction.

They’re not always pleasant. I’ve had seriously scary nightmares since I was very small. A lot of the time, it’s me trying to get away from someone or something and either there’s no where to hide or I can’t run. Other times it’s something that starts out perfectly normal and then is suddenly horrifying. Either way, I wake up gasping, and have to lie in bed listening to the house noises to make sure it really was just a dream before I can relax enough to go back to sleep or dare a trip to the bathroom.

Another recurring dream is that I am back in the house I grew up in. A house that was bought by the airport and bulldozed several years ago. But for whatever reason, I’m either living in that house or back there trying to finish packing. Never mind that I wasn’t even living at the house at the time it was sold. Similar to this are dreams where I am back at my old job at the IGA, which is also no longer there.

The strangest dreams are the ones in the early morning before my alarm goes off. Often, I think I’m awake and living my daily life until I realize that something is out of place or someone is there who shouldn’t be. Or I can’t seem to open my eyes, even though I’m up and around.

My favorite, though, are the ones with visits from people I’ve lost. During my misspent college years, Uncle Art would generally appear in my dreams to warn me not to do whatever stupid thing I was planning to do. I didn’t always listen. Nana and Great Nana often show up in dreams about family functions.

My grandfather appears fairly frequently as well. It took a few Grampy dreams before I realized that in every one, either he’s handing me a cup of coffee or I am making one for him. Logically, it’s probably just my subconscious, because coffee is something I always associated with him. But there’s a part of me that is convinced that these dreams are really Gramps dropping in from the afterlife to have a cup of coffee with me and catch up. I look forward to those the most.