Simple Stories

The gift of song

by Janice Daquila-Pardo on December 20, 2012

Have you ever read about the importance of family rituals to children’s development of identity and feelings of belonging? When I do it impresses upon me, yet again, what a wonderful job my parents did in providing Phil and me with such a stable, loving, tradition-filled environment. Our family’s rituals were many, but it will [...]

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Trap-Neuter-Return gone awry

by Janice Daquila-Pardo on October 16, 2012

Alley Cat Allies launched National Feral Cat Day® on their 10th anniversary in 2001 to raise awareness about feral cats, promote Trap-Neuter-Return and recognize the millions of compassionate Americans who care for them. Feral cats are domestic cats (like pet cats), but they have had little or no contact with humans, and so they are [...]

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Would you like fries with that?

by Janice Daquila-Pardo on October 12, 2012

Polyester restaurant uniforms do nothing for the wearer’s self esteem, I can tell you from personal experience. Will you take a look at this 1987 photo that my mom snapped of Phil and me just as we were both about to head to our respective summer jobs? Wow. I got to wear a deep rust [...]

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What a loser

by Janice Daquila-Pardo on August 29, 2012

I was recently looking through some photos when I noticed a few of Matt that I had taken exactly one year before, and I could not get over how different he looked! I mean, of course I know that he has lost 35 pounds in the past year. But you know how it is: things [...]

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Under the shade of the old oak tree

by Janice Daquila-Pardo on August 23, 2012

We grew up in a house with two big, beautiful trees in the front yard—a maple and an oak. In the fall, when we had to rake, I cursed their deep roots, sturdy limbs and plentiful leaves. But in the summer, their canopies combined to shade almost every inch of our yard, and I adored [...]

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