Linda K Sienkiewicz

Writing life, line by line

Things Couples Fight About

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Same old same old: According to Marriage and Family counselor Dr. John Gottman, 69% of the conflicts in marriage will never be solved. That means we are having the same argument over and over again. The little things My husband and I have been married a long time. Nearly 42 years. We've learned to work most things out without any hair-pulling or foot-stomping. For example, I hate that, … [Read more...]

How to Make a Writer Crazy

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Telling someone you're a writer (poet, author, journalist, whatever) often gets, um, an interesting response or unwanted feedback. Many thanks to my fellow writers (and Barbara Bos of Women's Writers, Women's Books) for sharing these gems: You’re a writer?! So am I . . . "You’re a writer? I have a great idea for a book!" "I'm going to write a book when I retire." "I … [Read more...]

What, Why, How: Dan Alatorre

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What: What do I do? Good question. My wife wants to know, too. She sees me at the computer for hours and hours, but it takes a long time for a book to be produced, so she’s certain I’ve got an online gambling addiction or I’m playing Words With Friends or something. But what I do is make people laugh. Or cry. Sometimes on the same page. Or I make them see things they thought they knew, but … [Read more...]

My Last Christmas with Mom

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My fondest Christmas memory In September, 2012, my brother and I helped move my mother, age 91, to her own apartment in a retirement home in Rochester, just five minutes from me. A month or so later, she suffered compression fractures in her spine. COPD and a heart condition then took a toll. Before we knew it, Thelma had a pacemaker, was wheelchair bound and on oxygen. Still of sound mind, … [Read more...]

Ladybugs, children and understanding death

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It's hard to believe it's been nearly six years since my son Derek died. Sometimes reminders fly at you from the most unlikely places. One such time was at a recent Poetry at the Farmhouse series. When pet bugs die: At the Farmhouse, poet Robert Fanning explained his son, at four, didn't fully grasp the passing of his aunt until his ladybug friend died. The poem about that … [Read more...]