Monthly Archives: April 2011

Learning to be suburban took a while.  I had to learn to grow grass just so that I could cut it down again a week later, and I did become the local expert on organic lawn maintenance.  Actually, what made … Continue reading →

I’ve no idea  how it is elsewhere, but in our family the most stressful time of the day was just before supper.  Possibly it was simply that five of us, in addition to Abi, all being together in the same … Continue reading →

If you want to get to know your neighbors easily and informally, get a dog.  A puppy might even be better, as you have to walk it more often.  It is absolutely amazing how many people you meet just walking … Continue reading →

Settling into a new community can be a daunting experience.  You buy a house after learning something about the community in which you will be living, but you really don’t have any friends or neighbors there, at least at first.  … Continue reading →

Besides having been vandalized our new house came with its own story.  We had bought the house from a very nice woman who also happened to be a real estate broker.  She had modernized the kitchen with money from an … Continue reading →

We had moved to Teaneck because we needed more space for our growing family and because I felt insecure living in Manhattan without rent controls in place.  We had also settled in Teaneck because it was politically liberal and it … Continue reading →

After so many weeks away, it was good to be home in Teaneck, and to get back to the serious business of raising a family in the suburbs.  Besides our two children (Melissa wasn’t born yet), we had also acquired … Continue reading →

Tucumcari was an unexpected stop on our way to Gallup, New Mexico, where there was to be a rodeo which Linda and I thought would be fun for the children and our teenage babysitter.  However, before we got to Gallup, … Continue reading →

Besides Forest Lawn and Universal Studios, while in Los Angeles and because we had children on this trip, we also visited Disneyland, a pleasant enough experience of which I remember nothing, except for the crowds and Cinderella’s Castle.  I guess … Continue reading →

No long family trip is complete without a vehicle malfunction.  In this case, on our way from the Grand Canyon, our new Buick stations wagon’s water pump gave out, and had to be replaced.  The event took place in Williams, … Continue reading →