Author: Renee Noel
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That Spirit of Mischief
Throwback Thursday It took me a moment to realize the house had grown very quiet. Let me repeat. It took me a few glorious moments, the sort of moments of which every parent with young children dreams. Moments of tranquility. Moments allowing a cup of tea, a flop on the couch or maybe, for a…
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Breaking a Streak
A Labor Day of Letting Go School in our part of the country usually does not start until after Labor Day, which means the long holiday weekend is the last big hurrah of summer. For more than a decade this particular weekend has been marked by a tradition. Somewhere along the line my friends started…
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The Lens of Pain
I have 100 people coming to my house in five days. Out of town relatives fly and drive in, starting tomorrow, from four different states. It is my youngest child’s–my only daughter’s–high school graduation. And I’m horizontal. I’m in bed trying to “stay ahead” of #pain that at moments has felt as intense as childbirth…
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A Gift with Heart
Holiday Musings When I was a little girl, my family started the tradition of allowing all six of us kids to draw names so we didn’t have to buy gifts at Christmas for five siblings. At the time I thought it was genius. We could concentrate on a special present for one person rather than…
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An Apple Pie Dilemma
New England, Apple Pie, and Sort of New Neighbors It was just a pie. But it kind of turned into a dilemma. Since moving to New England ten years ago, I’ve delighted in the tradition of apple picking. Think apple orchards, surrounded by Maple trees clinging to their browning leaves with hints of red and…
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Dragons, Covid, and Connection
His post-Covid mask, the better, N95-quality-type, wraps around his neck like an ascot. And there it lay, around his neck, not is mouth, as he un-delicately coughs. Or chokes. Or mouth vomits. I can’t tell exactly. I know my husband might say he coughed up a lung. I can say for sure it’s a sound…
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Crazy Cute
Prom dress cartel aside … you do you. My girl. After two very boyish boys. Big blue eyes, apple cheeks, and fine blonde hair. So fine that getting ready for the day could be a bit of a battle. Brushing that fine hair, that wound itself into a matted nest by morning (prim in the…
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Taking Back Her Name
Family Trauma and Healing “…forced her into his car at gunpoint.” After all these years of hearing versions of this story, there it was in its entirety laid out on the blog of a true crime writer, author of forgotten historical crimes, one click from the Reddit post that linked me to it. The headline…
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Reluctant Pet Mother Part II: Grelief
A Dog’s Life “911 what is your emergency?” “Hi, this is not a people emergency. It’s sort of a pet emergency. I wasn’t sure who to call. I’ve locked my elderly dog, I mean we are actually putting him down tomorrow, and I accidentally locked him in the car, with my keys. Do the police…
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Professor Bear: Confessions and Lessons from a Reluctant Pet Mother
My head was in another space. As it always is when I’m about to teach class. But it was a habit to check my phone before entering the classroom. After all, I had young children in school. It could be an emergency. The text was from my neighbor. “Your dog is sitting like a weathervane…