Essential Estrogen

According to the family rumor mill, many people were fooled into believing that I was reading at age two. The reality is far more lovely and rare. My older sister, who patiently presented Horton and a wealth of other characters day after day and night after night, was a carrier of a disease I’ve yet [...]

John Sebastian (Lovin’ Spoonful), Welcome Back: … Welcome back. We always could spot a friend. Welcome back. And I smile when I think how you must have been, and I know what a scene you were learning in. Was there something that made you come back again? And what could ever lead ya, back here [...]

The first time I had an opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Edwards was well before I returned to life as a reporter. We talked as you would imagine two mothers talking — about life, about our hopes for the future, about our children who remain with us and about our children who had died. When [...]

I was struck late last week by the obituary of Mary E. Farnsworth, a former resident of Iowa City. As many obituaries tend to do, this one provides a glimpse into the life of a 91-year-old woman, who will no doubt be missed by her family and friends. “Mary was an avid reader, and a [...]

Not all the bells and whistles are in place yet — much less all the back content — but the move has been made. Be patient over the next few days and possibly even weeks as we continue to learn a new system. Hopefully the end result will be many more posts for you to [...]

Since this blog began, I’ve used Movable Type. What I love about the software is that I have incredible flexibility with it. I can add my own code, and change nearly everything to the way I want it to look and behave. Unfortunately, all of that freedom to customize comes with a big price tag [...]

Because this post, which is personal in nature, can be a trigger for readers who have suffered the death of a child, I’m placing it behind the link. In December, just as Iowa was experiencing its first big blizzard and I was hard at work beside my car with a snow shovel, the phone rang. [...]

I’m down with the flu this week, so posting will be sparse, if at all. Still, if you haven’t seen the “Target Women” series by Sarah Haskins of Current TV, it’s well worth a look. (Well, at least it made me — a woman feeling near death, mind you — laugh out loud.) Enjoy!

I have written previously about my brother, Jimmy Lee Campbell, who was drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War and died of wounds he received in battle there. Just last weekend my children and I had opportunity to visit the Moving Wall, a traveling half-size replica of the Vietnam Memorial, when it was on [...]

I had the unique opportunity this weekend to witness some friends’ marriage renewal ceremony. I left the small eastern Iowa church with the feeling that such a ceremony, performed in front of friends and family, could only serve to strengthen a marriage. For the record, prior to yesterday, I thought vow re-commitment ceremonies were more [...]