Surviving Breast Cancer: What’s It About?
By the time I celebrated five years cancer-free a whole day could go by without dwelling on my death....
Ann Barnett
Why I Keep Going Back To Bonaire
When people ask “What do you do for nightlife?” I don’t tell them about counting bats or that I’m usually asleep by 9 o’clock. I might not even mention Wednesday movie night for fear of ruining it with popularity....
Goodbye To The Summer Cottage
I’ve already scaled back from four weeks to three, and now two, but each year I see less and less of my grandsons....
Crimes Of Summer
The guilt that spawns nightmares and insomnia at three am is about what I did to them during the Summer of Sam 36 years ago....
The Five-Year Rule
Taking aim at a wastebasket across the room, I jettisoned the lifeless body with shocking fury....
Thrifty Pleasures
In my backpack I carried a two-week supply of food scraps for the compost bin....
Second Chances
When we flew to Cozumel, I planned to play tennis and lie on the beach. Worn out, middle-aged school teachers, we knew survival until June depended on a successful February vacation....
Just Keep Patching It Up
Despite an ongoing commitment to maintenance, I have conceded that sanding and varnishing will not stop time....
Forgiving Dad
This Father’s Day I feel my father’s pain merging with mine in a pact of forgiveness....
Ann Barnett
After retiring from teaching I turned to writing, my first love. In a memoir writing course on Long Island I met the mentor of my dreams. My work has been published in Newsday.