Author Archives: eportugal4

Hoarding — Kerry – 2/1/2016

Posted on February 1, 2016 by eportugal4

Hoarding February 1, 2016 If I am a hoarder, it is a hoarder of experiences. Because I don’t trust my recall, I collect memories. Photographs pressed into scrapbooks and photo albums. Smiling faces transformed into personal artwork behind ornate frames. … Continue reading →

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Because He Has Big Balls? – Elaina – 1/29/16

Posted on January 29, 2016 by eportugal4

Because He Has Big Balls? – Elaina Portugal January 29th, 2016 Dear Reader- I typically stay out of the political arena when it comes to OYOL, but this Presidential campaign has me scratching my head wondering about where we are … Continue reading →

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Packing Memories – Amanda – 1/27/2016

Posted on January 27, 2016 by eportugal4

Packing Memories January 27, 2015 I finally put away our Christmas decorations this past weekend. I’d wanted to take them down on January 9, the first weekend after Twelfth Night, but I yielded to pleas for “just one more week” … Continue reading →

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Missing Thank You — Kerry – 1/25/2016

Posted on January 25, 2016 by eportugal4

Missing Thank You January 25, 2016 In 1976, huge blizzards hit the east coast. Here in Pittsburgh, traffic slid to a crashing halt. Schools cancelled until the school boards worried students would never serve the required 180 days. Thus, because … Continue reading →

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Majoring in Communication — Colleen – 1/22/2016

Posted on January 22, 2016 by eportugal4

Majoring in Communication 22 January 2016 There’s something ironic about the fact that we humans have evolved complex emotions and varied ways in which to communicate, but spend our lives miscommunicating on a near-constant basis. Even I, who pride myself … Continue reading →

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Winter Weather — Kerry – 1/18/2016

Posted on January 18, 2016 by eportugal4

Winter Weather January 18, 2016 There is always music in my head, an ongoing soundtrack accompanying my every task. Sometimes, I’m baffled by the tune my brain seizes. This morning, for instance. I went to bed last night dreading the … Continue reading →

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Life Goes On — Mary – 1/16/2016

Posted on January 16, 2016 by eportugal4

Life Goes On January 16, 2016 It’s been five years and one month since my Dad passed away on Christmas Day. Thirty-three years ago, my mom passed away in the same month she was born. Being a numbers addict, I … Continue reading →

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It Happens to the Best of Us — Amanda – 1/13/2016

Posted on January 13, 2016 by eportugal4

It Happens to the Best of Us January 13, 2016 We say these words when a friend or loved-one screws up, but “It happens to the best of us” sounds like a lie when the screw-up is oneself. In my … Continue reading →

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Beeps — Kerry – 1/12/2016

Posted on January 12, 2016 by eportugal4

Beeps January 11, 2016 I can’t breathe. My life is reduced to anticipation of a beep on the monitors. Lines reflect bedraggled heartbeats. The numbers leap into dangerous zones, then recede like a storm-swept tide. I watch a man, once … Continue reading →

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Reflections on Man Children — Colleen – 1/8/2016

Posted on January 8, 2016 by eportugal4

Reflections on Man Children 8 January 2016 Parenting sucks. More to the point, being a mother sucks. It was simpler two hundred or more years ago. You had the kid, and then you died a week later at age 17. … Continue reading →

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