Michelaneous by Michele

An UGGly Situation

2012-02-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

Our daughter, an avid online shopper, learned the hard way—right along with us—that there are unscrupulous vendors on the World Wide Web. And today I seek to avenge our experience by outing this company for its illegal and fraudulent practices. www.cheapuggbootsforwomen.com . . . you are SO BUSTED! A pair of Classic Tall (Genuine) UGG boots costs $200. Eager to own a pair, our 14-year-old’s $20

Book Review: Guilty Pleasure

2012-02-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins My rating: 5 of 5 stars My teenage daughter insisted I read this and, I admit, it had me engrossed from start to finish. This is the first person account of a young girl in a post-Apocalyptic world who volunteers as "tribute" from her district to participate in what is essentially a reality TV show, The Hunger Games. Twenty-four kids, ranging in age from 12-

Kankle Time

2012-02-03T18:38:00.000-08:00

Last week a stepstool collapsed from underneath me as I reached for a sweater on a high shelf. Without warning or a chance to anything to break my fall, I was in a heap on my closet floor next to a pile of wood. That stool had been reliable for at least a dozen years. Now it’s useless. And so am I. Unable to get up, my initial cries for help were met with no response. Not even from the man in the

Looking Back to Brookfield

2012-01-12T10:38:00.000-08:00

“Poets claim that we recapture for a moment the self that we were long ago when we enter some house or garden in which we used to live in our youth. But these are most hazardous pilgrimages, which end as often in disappointment as in success. It is in ourselves that we should rather seek to find those fixed places, contemporaneous with different years.” — Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time or

“He Won’t Shoot Me.”

2012-01-10T16:24:00.000-08:00

I don’t know whether or not this is true or if it’s Valley legend, but I’m going to share it anyway. From the moment the texts began chiming into my daughters’ phones, and postings on Facebook informed us there was a shooting in the neighborhood on New Year’s Eve, we paid attention as the details of the incident unfolded. We warned our girls to be cautious about accepting and spreading

ACL Diary: The Long and Short of It

2011-10-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Six months. It’s a time period that normally flies by. And the six months that have elapsed since Willow’s ACL injury have, indeed, roared by with all the speed, sound and intensity of an F-16. In retrospect, however, it feels as though it’s been the longest six months of my life as I’ve lived vicariously through—and paid for—the medical bills of my first-born, 16 year-old child. The last three

ACL Diary: From The Sidelines

2011-09-17T13:53:00.000-07:00

Willow’s team is back in action and playing very well. Undefeated in their last six games, over Labor Day weekend in San Diego they earned a tournament championship and then won their first state league game of the season. Last night playing in the U-18 age group (a year up), they tied the current 1994 age group state champions in the TSA tournament. Willow watched it from the sidelines.

Not In My Backyard

2011-09-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

There are people who are supposed to be in my backyard. And then there are people who should not be there. By owning a resort on 45-acres of property with a sign on the main road directing traffic to it, I’m accustomed to keeping my eye on all who enter. Each time I spy a body, I ask myself, do they belong—i.e. are they registered guests? Are they visitors? Customers? Potential guests? Or, are

The Long Hot Summer Recovery Process

2011-08-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

Bruce Valentine working with Willow in June According to Tucson’s best and Willow’s favorite physical therapist, John Woolf, Willow is rockin’ it as she recovers from her ACL replacement surgery. Because of her hard work over the summer in Wisconsin with two different physical therapists, a certified trainer and a sports medicine physician, AND her good-girl behavior (staying off the

ACL Diary: The Art of Scar

2011-06-30T12:21:00.000-07:00

April 23, 2011: In stitches Using the bandage collection June 1, 2011 June 26, 2011

ACL Diary: Fishy Business

2011-06-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

We’ve moved from the desert to the lake—something we do as a family each summer. What this means for Willow is that she had to take temporary leave from her trusted physical therapist, John Woolf, and set up a program here in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. Willow in a younger day Luckily, we had connections. In advance of her surgery, we contacted a sports medicine physician who owns/operates a

ACL Diary: Let’s Get Physical

2011-05-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

When Willow started driving, no one was happier about it than I. Primarily it meant that after 11 years, I no longer had to drive a carpool filled with smelly shin guards and crusty socks to and from soccer practice. A month later she tore her ACL, and after surgery, I was back to being her chauffeur. I wasn’t taking her to soccer practice twice a week, however. I was taking her to physical

ACL Diary: Embrace the Brace

2011-05-16T09:28:00.000-07:00

Warning: Contains foul language At Willow’s pre-op appointment with Dr. Tucker, one of his assistants fitted her for the brace that would become a big part of her support system for the first stage of her post-op experience. It’s an uncomplicated device made partly of Velcro and plastic, but primarily of black, foamy material, on a par with a 7mm wetsuit, yet not quite as dense. Fitting her took

ACL Diary: The Ugly, The Bad and The Good

2011-05-13T09:57:00.000-07:00

Willow’s dad—the true videographer in the family—was out of town during the game when she tore her ACL. This is why I was behind the camera. I was recording for two reasons. One, so her dad could watch the game later, and two, because I was putting together college recruitment videos for Willow and another girl on the team, and I was hungry for highlights. Instead, however, I captured what can

ACL Diary: Clearing Hurdles

2011-05-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

The Surgery ItselfWillow’s ACL tear happened during the first game of the 2011 AZ State Cup, which is the last tournament of the season, and the most important in terms of establishing team ranking. She was also in the midst of her school track season and had just posted her best time, three seconds off the previous week. Her event? 300 Hurdles. Little did she figure on a whole new set of

ACL Diary: Pain and Percocet

2011-05-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

“Has it really been less than three weeks?” On the news this morning, I heard that it’s been three weeks since Holly Bobo, the nursing student from Tennessee, was abducted in her front yard. These periodic abduction stories tend to upset my husband and cause him to worry about the safety of his own daughters. But this one, the story of Holly Bobo, really got to him. I’m not sure if it was

ACL Diary: Patellar? Hamstring?

2011-05-05T19:53:00.000-07:00

“Go With Your Gut” The first thing we learned is that shredded ACL ligaments cannot be repaired. They may, however, be reconstructed. It wasn’t until we saw the MRI images and our surgeon pointed out the barely visible frayed remains of Willow’s ACL, that we truly understood. Options for ACL reconstruction surgery presented to us were: • Patellar Tendon • Hamstring Tendon • Allograft (Donor

ACL Diary: Making Choices

2011-05-04T10:50:00.000-07:00

"Someone, Please Tell Me What To Do!" One of the complications of living in the United States, and I’ve often made this observation when facing a big decision, is that there’s far too much choice. I may have first had this feeling when doing something as trivial as walking down the cereal aisle at the grocery store. Looking at an overwhelming wall of some 500 choices of commercial brands

ACL Diary: The Immediate Aftermath

2011-05-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

A Hundred Phone Calls Willow and I sat for about an hour in the Urgent Care waiting room on the Saturday afternoon she went down, and our dear friend, Mike Smith—my sometimes second (soccer) husband—brought Willow a burger and a chocolate shake. It turns out that it was the most food she’d eat for the next several weeks. The minute she started taking painkillers, she booted her food and lost her

ACL Diary: And So Begins the Rehab

2011-05-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 28, 2011 From the moment my daughter went down on the soccer field, my guts told me what we’d be facing. But there wasn’t any way to truly prepare for the emotions her ACL injury would invoke. It has been just shy of a full lunar cycle since the incident—26 days—only one week out of surgery, and already I feel like a seasoned veteran of the course that is the treatment of an ACL

Down Syndrome: What We All Should Know, And What We All Can Learn.

2011-04-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

From Grief to Celebration, How One Family Learned to Embrace the Gift of Down Syndrome by Margaret Bender My rating: 5 of 5 stars Fall in Love with Alex . . . AND Gary I can't think of anyone who wouldn't benefit from reading this book, From Grief to Celebration: How One Family Learned to Embrace the Gift of Down Syndrome. It is extraordinarily well written from the heart of a mother with three

Chemtrail Monday

2011-04-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

On this Easter Monday morning, the Chemtrails have risen. They have risen indeed. I don’t know what they’re spraying out of the back of those little, white planes but they’ve turned our perfectly blue, spring desert sky into a plaid pattern of cottony-white clouds. The effect these clouds have on the weather can’t be attributed to God, nor can Mother Nature take credit for flying those planes.

Easter Lilies: "They tasted of hope and life."

2011-04-24T12:05:00.000-07:00

An Excerpt From The Novel "Irish Twins" For You on this Easter Sunday. “I took my mother’s outstretched hand and we moved through the wall of windows and across the expanse of lawn toward the long, narrow pier reaching out to the waters of Mitten Lake. Behind us, my father and my sister stood on the deck and waved. We passed the plot of rich soil where I first saw my father toiling with a small

Real Soccer Moms

2011-04-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

“Soccer moms drive minivans . . . but this girl drives a Bentley.” —Peggy Tanous from the Real Housewives of Orange County, BRAVO TV. Peggy Tanous, you can kiss my sweet, round soccer ball-shaped ass. What I mean to say is good for you and your new role as a “Bravolebrity” on BRAVO TV’s Real Housewives of Orange County. I hope you have a lot of fun, make a lot of new friends and have many

Mom Would Have Been 92 Today

2011-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

About this time last year I was writing the last chapter of a novel, Irish Twins, in which the main character, Anne Shields, was en route to peace and resolution. Anne had lived in my head for many, many months steering the vehicle that drove my creativity. This character was easy for me to visualize and to hear, for she had the voice of my mother. Not only did I hear her very clearly, but I

A Miracle in Tucson

2011-01-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we face another Saturday in Tucson. What it means for my family is that we will be on soccer fields, just as we were last Saturday morning when the news spread through the crowd at a pace as fast and changeable as a soccer ball on a field during a competitive game. The following are statements that were passed around on the day of the shootings by soccer spectators with cell phones and

There Are So Many Stories To Be Told

2011-01-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann My rating: 5 of 5 stars Let The Great World Spin was a book club selection, which was enjoyed by all who attended, and it prompted a lively, intelligent discussion. The story is based on the lives of eleven characters on the day in 1974 when French funambulist, Philippe Petit, danced across a wire (tightrope) secured between the new twin towers at the

AUTHOR MICHELE COZZENS IS LIVING HER DREAM LIFE….

2010-11-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

November 9, 2010 in Author/ Celebrity Interviews By Laurel-Rain Snow Michele Cozzens - Author, Business Owner, Jewelry Designer Today I’d like to welcome an award-winning author whose latest book, Irish Twins, is unique, mystical, and a real page-turner. Michele Cozzens truly has lived a dream life, so I am thrilled to have her join us here. 1. Michele, I have now read three of your

How May I Offend You Today?

2010-10-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

I woke up to the television report of Juan Williams’ firing by NPR after voicing an opinion on FOX’s “The O’Rielly Factor.” It is my understanding that this NPR news correspondent turned senior news analyst makes regular appearances on FOX news, which in spite of its “Fair and Balanced” tagline, is known for its general right-wing, conservative political stance. NPR, on the other hand, is a

The Life of Jeremy Izzo: Threading the Eye of a Needle

2010-10-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

He lived for 29 years. No one believes it was long enough. And yet, he lived. Boy, did he live. Jeremy Izzo’s funeral was one of the most profound and moving experiences of my life. I’m home now—returned to an adult world from a few days in my childhood surroundings and among childhood friends/family. But after an intense few days spent with people I love and amidst grief so thick it clogged my

GROWING Old Together?

2010-10-10T01:35:00.000-07:00

Mike and I celebrated 21 years of marriage tonight. Not just marriage. GOOD marriage—the kind any romantic dreams about. It’s the kind that begins with a mutual physical attraction, and then leads to a pursuance of good nature and a copasetic sense of humor. It’s followed by an undeniable passion and (perhaps) even to acts defying common sense. Getting married is called “

If You Can See This Without Glasses, Don’t Bother Reading It

2010-10-05T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don’t know how else to express this: It SUCKS going blind. For some forty-odd years, God blessed me with perfect, 20/20 vision. And then I crossed the bridge into the world of MIDDLE AGE, and suddenly, my arms weren’t long enough to hold words in print far enough away to see. When it first happened, I had a vision exam and was told, much to my disbelief, that I STILL had 20/20 vision. “This

How Does it Feel to Get a Glowing Book Review?

2010-09-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

The review of my new novel begins: “This is one of the best books I’ve read in ages.” Reading a sentence like this brings on the exhale . . . the sigh of relief I dare say every author (who reads her reviews) experiences when a good one appears in print. Today I was honored to receive a glowing book review of Irish Twins from renowned journalist, celebrity interviewer and author, Betty Dravis.

The Things They Leave Behind

2010-09-27T18:01:00.000-07:00

Stray socks. Bathing suit pieces. Cell phone chargers. Dirty Towels. Balled-up T-shirts. Stuffed animals. Pacifiers. iPods. Beach shoes. Sunglasses. If I had to name the top ten items left behind by resort guests, all of the above would be on this list. Except for the iPods, phone chargers, and sunglasses, most people don’t notice the things they forgot to pack and take

Interview with Michele VanOrt Cozzens

2010-09-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

Today, Tyler R. Tichelaar of Reader Views is pleased to interview Michele VanOrt Cozzens, who is here to talk about her new novel Irish Twins.   She is a former journalist and newspaper columnist, and is the author of I’m Living Your Dream Life: The Story of a Northwoods Resort Owner, The Things I Wish I’d Said, A Line Between Friends, and It’s Not Your Mother’s Bridge Club. Irish Twins is her

Some Days I Abhor Being a Mother

2010-09-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Today is one of them. The Beav and I covered about four-and-a-half miles this morning in triple digit temperatures and I swear, as much bile spilled from my tongue as sweat poured from my glands. If there’s really such a thing as “going on strike” from the job of motherhood, I think it’s fair to say, this morning I declared such a strike. I did not get out of bed before the sun. I did not wake

Red Hot Chile Peppers

2010-09-17T14:53:00.000-07:00

He used to bring me flowers. Now he brings me chile peppers. Harvest in Hatch, New Mexico coincides with my husband’s annual Northwoods-to-Desert journey, and in the past few years, he’s always made a stop in this quaint Southwestern village. Hatch is known as the “Chile Capital of the World.” There he picks out the longest, reddest ristras he can find, strikes a deal with the vendor, and then

Dough!

2010-09-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

I admit I was pretty lenient on Friday afternoon when I let the girls have a boatload of friends over to party the way teenagers do on a Friday evening. I’ve never minded being the Kool-aid mom and still like the idea of providing a safe environment for kids to hang out and have fun—especially now when they’re at an age when substances swirl around in the backgrounds of

The Perils of a Husbandless Housewife

2010-09-09T11:35:00.000-07:00

TUESDAY: While driving the high school car pool on a morning with a full schedule and close to 200 miles on the day’s agenda—my front left tire went flat. It was fine when I pulled out of the garage, fine when I picked up the first kid, but flat after I picked up the second. I didn’t suspect the flat until we hit the first bump in the bumpy road. The impact was not what we had come to expect from

How Do You Women Do It?

2010-09-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Recently I sat in the airport at Minneapolis/St. Paul for three hours waiting for my connection. Luckily I had a book to read/edit to keep me occupied, and iPod ear buds to keep me from hearing the very LOUD small talk of a group of women who were clearly on their way to some kind of conference. Immersed in work and music, at one point I happened to look up and to my left, and I witnessed a

Group/Book Club Discussion Questions

2010-09-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

Irish Twins 1. The term Irish Twins, describing two children born to the same mother within a twelve-month period, dates back to the 1840s when massive numbers of Irish people came to the United States. Discuss the Irish Potato Famine, what it was, what caused it and the effect it had on the Irish population. How were the Irish treated in America and what other derogatory terms arose during

"Stories That Come From the Heart Are Always Special"

2010-09-02T10:51:00.000-07:00

Irish Twins Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (09/10) I am not a twin, Irish or regular, I do not have children and as far as I know, my family’s secrets are nowhere near those described in Michele VanOrt Cozzens’ Irish Twins, so why was I so spellbound from the first page on? Sure, the book is well written, but so are many others. Yes, the subject is appealing, but it is

First Time Novelist Has a Winner

2010-08-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Bridge at Valentine by Renee Thompson My rating: 5 of 5 stars Romeo and Juliet in the Idaho Frontier This is the very well written tale of a Mormon, Idaho sheep-farming family named Caldwell, which takes place in the late 1800s. Renee Thompson paints a beautiful visual portrait of the land and fills it with well-developed, three dimensional characters. It's a family saga, to be sure, with

"Mommy! I've Been Dress Cut."

2010-08-27T09:46:00.000-07:00

In September, 1967, my sister, Debra, walked through the doors of Riverside Brookfield High School for the first time. Having spent eight years in a Catholic elementary school, which required she wear a scratchy, wool uniform, imagine her excitement about getting to pick out a real outfit for school for the very first time. Well, that excitement soon turned into humiliation. According to family

An Awakening Through a Journey into the Afterlife

2010-08-23T06:39:00.000-07:00

By Joyce Laabs of The Lakeland Times Based on a bit of fact and much fiction, Irish Twins by Michele VanOrt Cozzens (McKenna Publishing Group), is the fifth book by the author who, with her husband and two daughters, operate Sandy Point Resort and Disc Golf Ranch in Lac du Flambeau in the summer, while wintering in Tucson, Ariz. Though titled Irish Twins, it is the story of a family as it is

I Have a Little God in Me . . .

2010-08-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

From the opening chapter of Irish Twins:I have a little God in me. It’s a power I use to keep watch over my children, who are still on earth. I played many roles during my eighty years of human life, but the one role I couldn’t shake in spite of passing on, was the role of mother to my five children.We say once we’re mothers we’re always in mother mode—even when our kids are grown and gone and

Generations of Love

2010-08-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

A really lovely review of Irish Twins by the incredibly talented author and musician, Robin Meloy Goldsby. How lucky am I to have this amazing woman in my life? Generations of LoveBy Robin Meloy Goldsby, author of Piano Girl and Rhythm In her newest work, Irish Twins, Michele Cozzens weaves a tapestry of beautiful images with intriguing characters. With lyrical prose and a

Jessica Gall: Little Big Soul

2010-07-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report there are several new, BEAUTIFUL songs on my iPod from Jessica Gall's new CD, Little Big Soul. There's an overall, jazzy upbeat rhythm to many, a deep, tonal quality to all, and two I simply can't get out of my head! Without question, my favorite song is track 4: "Beautiful Girls." "When we were little girls,Happy and small, We'd always catch each other, Long before we'd

New Novel Launching Soon: Irish Twins

2010-07-23T07:14:00.000-07:00

It was President's weekend--better known as Rodeo Weekend in Tucson--when my family went on a ski trip and afforded me the uninterrupted time to finish writing my latest novel, Irish Twins. People often ask how long it takes to write a novel, and it's a difficult question to answer.If I counted all the time spent thinking about these characters in addition to actually writing about them, the

Did You Know There Was a Female Pope?

2010-07-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk CrossMy rating: 5 of 5 starsWhen a book is recommended to you over and over again, it’s definitely a good idea to take the recommendation. Such was the case with the amazing Pope Joan. It’s been sitting on my nightstand for . . . years! What finally motivated me to pick it up and dive in? Very simply, it was next on my long “to-read” list.Pope Joan relates the

Summer Saturday Survival

2010-06-26T18:49:00.000-07:00

It’s known as “turnaround day” here at Sandy Point Resort. Cabin renters checkout by nine in the morning, and we have guest-free grounds until 4pm, which is when the new weekly renters show up. It’s the most peaceful AND the most hectic period of the week.Today’s turnaround went smoothly. We managed to get a jumpstart on two of our cabins, which we cleaned on Friday evening. The guests, who had

Getting My LOON On

2010-06-15T19:20:00.001-07:00

In our eighteen years of owning and operating Sandy Point Resort, this year—2010—has been the most challenging. It started out posing a problem because my daughters and I didn’t get here until the Thursday night before Memorial Day weekend. We flew from Tucson to Minneapolis to Rhinelander, and it may as well have been a flight from the earth to the moon because of the polarized climates and

So, Did You Wipe Your Ass With it Too?

2010-05-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

As far as T-P-ing acts go, this one was pretty pathetic. I didn’t even see it when I opened the front door this morning to fetch the Sunday paper. All I had on my mind at that early, pre-latte minute was when I was going to find time today to complete the NY Times crossword puzzle. I greeted the mama dove, on her nest for the third round, and then opened the courtyard door. No paper. WTF? And

Arizona: Please Vote for Education

2010-05-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

The state of Arizona has captured the attention of the country due to the passage of SB1070, a new law meant to curb illegal immigration. What the rest of the country may not know--particularly because they've got problems of their own--is public education in the state of Arizona has hit rock bottom.According to the Arizona Education Association, in 2008 Arizona ranked 49/50 states in the amount

Irish Twins?

2010-05-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Our doves have done it again. I'm not sure whether or not it was a case of "been-there-done-that" but this time around, the whole process seemed to go a lot faster.Today we're happy to report, both baby birdies survived. This morning was the first time we caught sight of them while the parent dove kept close watch perched atop our courtyard wall.

Mom and the Masai

2010-04-21T10:59:00.000-07:00

The second time I went to Kenya, I had the unforgettable experience of escorting my septuagenarian parents there. The trip was a gift for their fiftieth wedding anniversary, which they celebrated in 1993. Mike and I first accompanied them to Paris and then we all went on a series of safaris in East Africa. My sister, Gayle, lived just outside of Nairobi at the time and one of the highlights was

Broken For You: A Book Review

2010-04-20T17:01:00.001-07:00

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos My rating: 5 of 5 stars Broken Lives Pieced Back Together This was a book club selection that received a luke warm review from our group of ten. I, however, was one of the few who truly enjoyed reading Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos. While many felt elements of the plot were too contrived—and they were—for me it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the

“Mom! Can I Talk to You for a Minute?”

2010-04-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

She sought me out at the end of the soccer game—a first round State Cup duel our girls won 2-1. I knew she was pissed about something—it showed all over her face, particularly during the second half of the game. Did I think she was pissed at me? Well, yes. She’s been pissed at me for about a year. I can’t tell you why other than to relate that she’s a teenager. And what teenage girl isn’t just a

Survivor!

2010-04-14T09:19:00.000-07:00

A dove is born!Yesterday I was in mourning over the loss of one of two dove eggs, which I’d been carefully watching for weeks. Today, however, a baby has emerged. I believed it was hiding under its parent all day yesterday as the sitting bird was propped a bit higher in the nest. This morning, however, I saw what looked like feathers. And when I called Camille to come have a look, her keen eyes

Dove Update

2010-04-13T10:12:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I wrote about the Doves on our Doorstep, a pair of mourning doves taking turns sitting atop two eggs. They’ve been good, calm neighbors and have appeared oblivious to all our comings and goings. We check on the nest several times a day and have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of their chicks. This morning, however, when I opened the front door at six a.m. and stepped outside to

I Miss My Mother

2010-04-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

When my mother died I was lucky to receive a lot of support from those who knew her and those who knew how important this relationship was to me. I’m not saying our mother-daughter bond was anything special or extraordinary. On the contrary, it was quite normal. And my definition of “normal” in this case is that it was the most important relationship in my life. I truly loved her and for all of

Michelaneous

2010-04-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

The other day during a casual conversation, a friend admired my ability to multi-task. I’m not sure she used the word “multi-task” but I’m pretty sure it’s what she meant. I immediately thought of a typical Michele workday, and my head started spinning. Yes, I multi-task. Who doesn’t? But do I do it well? Hmmm. It may appear that way to the outside world; however, if you were to step into my

Up in Arms

2010-04-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

I spoke with a former California coworker over the weekend. When I was in my late 20s and she was in her early 30s, we worked together at a trade publication in San Francisco. I was managing editor and she was the director of advertising sales. We were quite a team. We were young, hot, ambitious and successful.Today I’m in my late 40s and she’s in her early 50s. We talked only briefly about our

It’s Bad Enough That You Smoke . . .

2010-03-31T08:02:00.000-07:00

But do you have to throw your butts out the car window too? I realize the only “legal” place to smoke these days is in one’s car; however, aren’t these cars equipped with ashtrays? Do you have to litter our streets—or worse—cause you’re fiery, smoking butt to hit my car as it drives behind you?I wonder, has all that smoke swirling inside your brain and your lungs caused you to forget your manners

The Phenomenon that IS Facebook

2010-03-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

Facebook Fairytales: Modern-Day Miracles to Inspire the Human Spirit by Emily LiebertMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Emily Liebert had a brilliant concept for a book, and Facebook Fairytales doesn't disappoint. As a fan of this phenomenal social networking website and because I have personal experience with both finding long-lost friends and also being found, I was eager to read her collection of "

Books on Tape? Michele Shrugged

2010-03-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

I blame Ayn Rand; however, I credit Syliva Schick Young.For anyone who loves to read and feels as though time doesn’t permit the luxury, recorded books are a viable and enjoyable answer. I, in fact, have become a bit of an addict. My book club pal, Sylvia, told me about a site called Audible.com. It’s a fantastic source—a reliable dealer—offering a low cost membership and monthly book credits.The

A Big, Bad Bruise to the Buttocks

2010-03-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

Poor kid. She insists on running hurdles because she says “it’s fun.” I’m sure it is. Her forte, however—even though she refuses to believe it—is distance. I know this to be true because I’ve run with her. Never fail, within the first five minutes of our run, she’s half a mile ahead of me. And quite frankly, I’m no slouch. Also, the only days she doesn’t run distance are the days she has soccer

True and Not Too Political

2010-03-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

Did you know I used to be a newspaper columnist? Shortly after I was married in 1989, the newspaper for which I worked as a graphic designer and occasional feature writer, offered me the opportunity to write a weekly column. The main reason, aside from earning a degree in journalism and working as a reporter, feature writer and the managing editor of other publications, was that my office was

Dream Life Designs Featuring Hill Tribe Silver

2010-03-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

For designs featuring Karen Hill Tribe Silver, go to The Shop at Sandy Point Resort

If You’re Not for Health Care Reform You...

2010-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

1. Haven’t been denied coverage2. Haven’t paid your own premiums3. Haven’t watched your premiums go up as much as 45% per year4. Haven’t had a sick child5. Haven’t experienced a serious injury6. Haven’t gone bankrupt trying to payoff medical bills.And, as demonstrated by the debate and subsequent vote in congress, if you’re not for health care reform—at least the current version of reform on the

Doves on Our Doorstep

2010-03-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

It happens every spring. Just outside our front door we have a talavera sconce that becomes a nesting shelf for a pair of love doves. They take turns sitting atop two white eggs, which rest on a thin collection of twigs and branches. The doves have grown so accustomed to our comings and goings, they stay put when we breeze past. Male and female mourning doves look the same. Generally, the male

In Search of an Empty Calendar Square

2010-03-21T09:25:00.000-07:00

No one in this family can complain that life is boring. On the days where I don’t want to get up and face another day filled with calendar notations about places to be and things to do, I tell myself it’s just a phase. Because of our kids’ ages, and because they’re healthy and active, (and because neither has a driver’s license) we’re at a point in our life where we’re just too flippin’ busy.

Glad I Didn’t Pay Someone To Do This

2010-03-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Xeriscape Landscaping. (Pronounced ZERO-SCAPE). It’s a term familiar to desert dwellers who recognize the need to conserve water. The word comes from the Greek xeros, which means “dry.” We have a xeriscape design in our backyard, where we make use of not only cacti and succulents to beautify the overall look of our outdoor rooms, but also the plants that do require regular watering are grouped

Did You Hear About the Cozzens?

2010-03-16T11:56:00.000-07:00

We haven’t been to the movies together since just before Christmas, when we saw The Blind Side. It was a toss-up between what turned out to be Sandra Bullock’s Oscar-winning performance and the Hugh Grant/Sarah Jessica Parker film, Did You Hear About the Morgans. We both enjoyed The Blind Side and felt it was the right choice. This morning, a windy Tuesday in Tucson, turned out to be not a very

Is Soccer Coach Innocent or Guilty?

2010-03-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago a story ran on the front page of the Sunday paper, the Arizona Daily Star. It was about two local club soccer coaches who had lost their coaching privileges due to allegations of inappropriate conduct. I was quoted in this article. The reporter on the story found me through an “Internet search,” because my daughter belonged to the club where the coaches were last employed in

Death of a Saguaro

2010-03-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

It’s a sad day in the Sonoran Desert. We don’t complain about abundant rain in the desert—ever. Unfortunately, however, when the ground gets very soft it’s possible that a shallow-rooted giant will be unearthed. Such was the case for the 35-foot mature saguaro cactus in our back yard. Boom. It fell to pieces. We didn’t hear it fall, only discovered it dead on the desert floor. Looking at it all

"I Am Suck"

2010-03-11T02:11:00.000-08:00

It’s a terrible phase. I struggled with a manuscript, wrote in a vacuum and finally got to the words, THE END. I read it from start to finish and thought it was okay. I sent it off and didn’t look at it for almost two weeks. And then finally, I had the courage to read it again. Oh no. It’s crap. It needs a lot of work. It doesn’t make sense. Who is going to get this? Why would anyone be

Milka—What?

2010-03-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

I, for one, didn’t give a single thought to actress/party-girl Lindsay Lohan when I first saw the E-Trade commercial that originally aired during the Super Bowl. And now, thanks to her $100 million lawsuit alleging E-Trade illegally used her name, she’s forever attached to this commercial. Does anyone else smell a publicity hoax? It’s an absurd lawsuit that has succeeded at getting her name in

Q: How Do You Get Your Teenager to be Sweet Again?

2010-02-21T12:01:00.001-08:00

A: Let her go on a date She’ll be fifteen very soon—so soon, she’s planning her birthday party. But for now, she’s still fourteen. And she doesn’t look it. Ask anyone. Last month when she was trying on dresses for the Winter Formal dance, the saleswoman kept bringing sophisticated, low-cut, sexy dresses to the dressing room. “Can you please stop bringing these little numbers that make her look

O-Plump My Way to High-Maintenance Lips

2010-02-19T19:21:00.001-08:00

Have you ever known someone who was so beautiful, that every time you saw her, you couldn’t help but crane your neck and take notice? I have a friend who is a few years younger than I, who has turned my head from the first day I saw her.She claims to be “high-maintenance” and I’m not quite sure if that means she requires a lot of assistance from others to help her maintain her lifestyle or if she

Don’t Mess With Me

2010-02-07T18:40:00.000-08:00

I am the meanest Mommy in town. Don’t mess with me. With this statement, I’m addressing my kids as well as anyone who deals with my kids. And by the way, this includes the kids to whom I gave birth, and the kids I love. Trust me, I love a lot of kids in this town. I’ve been a soccer coach—soccer MOM—a volleyball coach, a reading coach, a writing coach, a room mother, a mom helper, a carpool

Sorry About the Blog

2010-01-28T09:03:00.000-08:00

My email inbox often contains messages with tips about successful blogging. I wish I had time to read all of them. Those I do read, consistently note the importance of consistency in posting. Apparently, I have a failure of a blog. No matter how hard I try, I can’t be consistent. I’m afraid I’m stretched far too thin and simply don’t have time to keep up the posting. It’s not like when I was a

Twelve at Twelve on January 12

2010-01-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today is January 12, 2010 and if you live in Tucson, wherever you happen to be at 12 noon, city officials are asking that you stop, look around, and collect whatever trash you see . . . for twelve minutes.There's no sign-up involved, no report required, just an eye for litter, two hands for collection, and a trash bag.I have my own beautification project this morning—a hair appointment—which

Cash for Cookies

2010-01-10T11:46:00.000-08:00

With one exception, I have a problem with turning our children into door-to-door vendors. There’s something about putting them on a par with Fuller Brush and Encyclopedia salesmen—not to mention the Jehovah Witnesses—that feels wrong.Over the years my kids have been asked to sell everything from magazine subscriptions and wrapping paper to holiday poinsettia plants. I wouldn’t let them sell the

A Lousy Textcuse for Communication

2010-01-07T12:19:00.000-08:00

At the risk of invading my children’s privacy, I can’t let this one slide. Breaking up with someone by text—be it a best friend or a boyfriend—is bullshit. It’s weak. It’s bad form. It’s pathetic, lazy and, well stupid. And SOB if it didn’t happen to my kids not once but twice this week.Text messaging, or texting, has its place and I have used it to communicate more than I ever thought I would.

A Daughter’s Tears

2010-01-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

We did the right thing last night by demanding the Wii turned off, rooms cleaned, and new semester notebooks and next-day’s outfits be readied by ten p.m. We did the right thing by waking them at nine yesterday and demanding they get ready and go to Sunday school. We believed it would soften the blow of the six a.m. wake-up call on Monday morning after two weeks off of regular school. Certain

A Penny for Your Thoughts on 2009

2009-12-30T19:25:00.000-08:00

1. What did you think of 2009? It began on a positive note. I believed the country was headed toward change. I bought it. But here at the end of December, it doesn’t feel like much—if anything—has changed, besides the fact that like the President, my hair has gotten grayer. 2. What do you think was the news story of the year? The US Airways plane landing in the Hudson River. 3. What happened

A Bad Hair Blast from the 1980s

2009-12-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

All it takes is a brief look back to determine with absolute certainty that the 1980s were filled with a lot of big, bad hair.I heard from an old friend today, someone I’d actually given up for dead until a surprise message turned up in my “in” box. Thank goodness for the Internet and a thing called Google. This woman, who actually served as a bridesmaid at our 1989 wedding, got in touch after

Christmas When You’re 49

2009-12-25T17:39:00.000-08:00

When you’re 49, you are Santa and everyone in the house knows it. It doesn’t bode well when your bedtime is far earlier than your kids’ and they’re still up late playing Facebook games like Farmville and going through the motions of putting out milk and cookies next to the fireplace.Thank baby Jesus, the Mr. Claus in this Southwest pole regularly burns the midnight oil. Last night he fulfilled

When Your Novel is Available for a Penny

2009-12-17T10:05:00.000-08:00

We’ve all heard of “dime novels.” Now, thanks to Amazon.com, there are “penny novels” available, and one of them happens to be mine. How did I learn this?An old friend, someone with whom I went to school, recently sent an unsolicited review of my first novel, A Line Between Friends, and I asked him to post a version of it on Amazon.com. He did. And when I went to the site to read it, I noticed

I Made $$$ Off of Tiger Woods

2009-12-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

There, I said it. It’s true. I may be the least exotic of the “conga line” of blonde-bombshells to come forward, but I am one. Regardless, I’m quite sure Extra, The Today Show or The National Enquirer won’t come a knockin,’ even though I’m convinced that my big boobs and Tiger Woods helped to pay an entire month of tuition of my daughter’s volleyball club.Last February during the Accenture Match

Dumber Than a Box of Socks

2009-12-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

Aaaaaaargh! I found another solitary sock in my daughter’s bathroom this morning. I wonder, should I grab it and try to hunt down its mate? Or should I save time and simply add it to the ever-growing collection of strays in the Cozzens family’s box of socks?Does anyone else have this problem? It seems every time I pull out a load of clothes from the dryer and start the sorting process, I end up

Lac du Flambeau Gets a Clue

2009-12-08T07:14:00.000-08:00

You don’t see THIS everyday in your morning crossword puzzle:3. _____ du Flambeau, Wisc.In all my years of doing puzzles, I’ve seen _____ du Lac, Wisc. about a hundred times and it never got me excited. Today, however, seeing a clue for our little remote corner of the Northwoods—home to the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe Indians and Sandy Point Resort and Disc Golf Ranch—in the USA Today puzzle,

Making Sense of a Murder-Suicide

2009-12-01T12:49:00.001-08:00

He had recently sent my younger sister an email, telling her she was missed at the class reunion. I saw photos of him on Facebook from that reunion and recognized him immediately. (The same could not be said about the boys/men at my own thirtieth reunion last year). Some sweet faces never change. His was one of them. The news came to me inadvertently through a friend, who said she was still

Weapons of Self-Destruction

2009-11-29T23:59:00.000-08:00

1. Kids 2. Wine 3. Worry 4. Heat 5. Heels 6. Over-exercise 7. Lack of Sleep 8. TV 9. Poor reading light 10. Did I already list kids? Fell asleep with the TV on again and an open book on my chest. I don’t even remember what I was watching or reading when I got between the sheets. Anyway, something woke me up (a movie argument or a machine gun?) and a moment later, I saw a commercial

Flat Tire

2009-11-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

“Good God! What the F--- was that?”I was in the car alone—on my way to pick up the soccer carpool—when I hit a pothole the size of Montana. I only had two girls tonight, so I drove the sedan rather than the SUV-soccer-mobile. It was along my regular route to the high school, which I’ve driven a hundred times in the past few months.I swear, that pothole came out of nowhere.Was there an earthquake

Parenting is THE Most Difficult Job

2009-11-21T19:10:00.000-08:00

Take this job and shove it. I’m failing miserably in my role as a mother. Why? It’s not because I don’t have great kids. I do. They’re both healthy and beautiful and SHOULD be a parent’s dream. So, why the whine? It’s because I can’t take any credit for it. And because of this, I feel like a failure. And unfortunately, I’ve never considered failure an option. Here’s my problem: I can’t find a

When Your Teenager Treats You Like the Chauffeur

2009-11-20T08:23:00.000-08:00

The other day we went to our annual neighborhood watch block party. It’s an opportunity to have real conversations with the people with whom you share the roads and to whom you wave everyday as you drive in and out of the hood. Let’s face it. Suburban living—even in our rural desert oasis—is all about driving in and out of the hood.In addition to talking about safety and the overdue asphalt

If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be Turquoise

2009-11-17T14:36:00.001-08:00

I did a Tuesday show once in Wisconsin where my jewelry was on display. It was one of the rare shows that wasn’t juried, and as a result there wasn’t a lot of high-quality artisans selling their creations. I believe the venue was called Crazy Days, and my beautiful jewelry didn’t fit in. Crazy Days are like Flea Markets. Shoppers come looking for a bargain. And even though my handmade,

Swarovski Sunday

2009-11-15T09:55:00.000-08:00

Say it with me: SWA-RO’VF-SKI. Try it again. Take a deep breath, imagine you’re at the top of an Alp and let it go: SWA-RO’VF-SKI. I’ve been helping people pronounce this word—this brand name—ever since I started using Swarovski crystals in my jewelry designs.I used to care about it being pronounced correctly the same way I used to care whether or not someone spelled my name with two Ls instead