I have the habit of referring to things I love as a “day at the beach”—everything from pumpkin muffins and steaming bread pudding to George Clooney and long foot rubs. But the truth is that there is nothing as glorious as an actual day at the beach. We just returned from a week at the… Continue reading Clear Skies
Author: Melissa Norton Carro
A native southerner, Melissa Norton Carro has over twenty years of experience in marketing and communications, including her own business, Norton Carro Communications. She has edited textbooks and been a non-fiction ghostwriter, as well as a regular copyeditor for Gannett Publishing. She received her Bachelor of Arts, with Honors, from Vanderbilt University, where she currently works as an Assistant Dean. Carro was a closet fiction writer for years while raising three daughters, and Mt. Moriah’s Wake is her first novel. She writes a weekly blog, In the Middle, about life in the sandwich generation and is currently working on another novel. She lives in Nashville with her husband and blue heeler mutt.
Play it again
Of all the things I’ve missed during the COVID quarantine—family gatherings, movies, hugs—I think I’ve missed music the most. Oh, I have quite the CD collection and so recorded music has remained part of my day, but Pandora is no substitute for live music and especially choirs. I believe the universe still owes me a… Continue reading Play it again
Here’s to Yenevelt
This week I took the death of Carl Reiner hard. Of course, I never met him, but yet I felt I knew him. There was a universality about his persona that made him seem like an uncle I would have liked to have had. There are some celebrities who just need to live on. For… Continue reading Here’s to Yenevelt
Double Rainbows
I’ve never thought myself particularly superstitious, although surely some myths portending bad luck have passed down from my grandmothers to me. I’m always quick to move a hat I see lying on the bed, pick up only pennies that are heads up, and never walk under ladders. I’m covering my bases, just in case. On… Continue reading Double Rainbows
The Drawing Board
For as long as I can remember, in the rec room of my parents’ house stood a drawing board. My father, an architectural draftsman, was one of the last members of a trade which has segued to CAD and computers. My dad still did meticulous plans by hand and was sought after for his precision… Continue reading The Drawing Board
Lost in the Woods
My hometown of Nashville is blessed with the Warner Parks, over 3,000 lush acres of forest and field. Recently my old college friend and I took our dogs on a hike there. She wanted to walk a trail unknown to me. We decided to go three miles: I had dinner guests coming over and we… Continue reading Lost in the Woods
Love, Joe
Every now and then something exciting happens to break the monotony. Tomorrow starts my 13th week of working from home. Often it seems that one day and week meld into the next. My daughter, a summer nanny, undoubtedly feels the same way. New day, new quarrels. Same kids. Many days when I greet her in… Continue reading Love, Joe
Nowhere, Indiana
Sometimes you just have to get the hell out of Dodge. It had been quite a week. I alternated between being horrified by the George Floyd killing, appalled at the riots, and concerned over friends’ experiences with COVID. More inconsequentially, my little laptop consistently freaked out over the number of spreadsheets I needed open at… Continue reading Nowhere, Indiana
Charles and Betty
Recently we had dinner with good friends. Sitting around their fire pit, we amazed at how quickly our 20s had segued into our 50s. One of our children is married and one of theirs is getting married in a month. When did they grow out of diapers, soccer matches and math tests? When faced with… Continue reading Charles and Betty
The Post-It Crisis
I have always prided myself in being hyper-organized. I make lists—sometimes of tasks I’ve already completed, just for the joy of crossing them off. But as I’ve been working at home for the last 8 weeks, I’ve found my brain rattled, distracted. A thought will jump into my head and I’ll travel with it down… Continue reading The Post-It Crisis
IN THE MIDDLE 