Category Archives: Family

Scribblegal signs off

I retired to Costa Rica in 2009 with my husband, Jack Kaiser, his two cats, Hobbes and Noir, and my dog Buddha. A year later, I wrote my first blog. Rereading it today, I’m a little embarrassed, but Scribblegal eventually … Continue reading

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Is Progress our most important product?

Lancaster Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia, is home to some 237,000 Plain people, including the Amish, Mennonites and Brethren. These folks eschew modernity in favor of keeping the old ways and traditions. You’ll see them, if you visit, as I used … Continue reading

Posted in Costa Rica, Current events, Family, Life, Life abroad, Philadelphia | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

White Privilege

In 1997, I passed the Philadelphia School District’s test for English teachers, and picked my first school from among the openings. The choices seemed bleak: each position was at one of the persistently dangerous schools- that’s to say, schools that … Continue reading

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Clean, or happy?

Before we moved to Costa Rica, we learned that we could find someone to clean the house for about a dollar an hour. I was ecstatic. Back home, I cleaned when company was coming. It’s not that I don’t love … Continue reading

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True homeland security

Are you feeling particularly secure right now? You should be, because we’re spending 39.5 billion bucks a year to give you the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing that the folks at the Department of Homeland Security are on … Continue reading

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Just like Jake

I couldn’t help thinking about my nephew, Jake-o-rama, when I read the article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. The headline on my Google News item read: Medical debate: Should autism block a man from getting a heart transplant? The man, Paul … Continue reading

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The amnesia of motherhood

You’ve heard, if you’re a parent, the phrase, the amnesia of childbirth.  Some people think  the reason we mothers forget the pain of childbirth is that giving birth is so horrific we’d probably never do it again if we could … Continue reading

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Puerto Viejo adventure

We planned our first trip to Puerto Viejo, on the Carribbean side, to coincide with the visit of my daughter, Bonnie, and my two granddaughters, Maiya and Bettie Belle. The luscious tropical resort area is a seven-hour trip from our … Continue reading

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¡Boy oh boyero!

What’s a boyero? I wondered, when I saw a notice for the Día National del Boyeros, a festival held in San Antonio de Escazu, in the Central Valley.  A boyero, it turns out, is a man who drives an oxcart.  … Continue reading

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What base were you born on?

I raised the hackles of one of my best friends with what I considered a harmless remark about the fabulous job she found a few years ago. I said, “You were really lucky to get that job.” We were talking … Continue reading

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