Each year’s Hot Flashes–between 2002 and 2007, at any rate–has a Cafe Press store. Visit the Shop link on this web site to find out more.

January

New Year Predictions

For Christmas, he gave me a sled, a dog, and a ring.

January, it rained. The dog ran away. That should have told me something.

February

Speed Dating

We had never met before the sledding party. Ran into each other there and fell head over heels.

March

Even Steven

The days and nights are equal lengths tonight and I’ll start being good. By mid-summer, I’ll be a paragon. Then the nights get longer.

April

Endless Patience

If I’m in for life, and I live to be eighty and I’m fifteen now, how many games of Solitaire will I play if I play a hundred games a day?

May

Change for the better

I put a fifty in the collection plate. She smiled at me, and I forgot to take back four tens. We married in May. Worth every cent.

June

CLARIFICATION

Cat, when I said I wished you had a friend to play with, I didn’t mean a mouse.

July

Perspective

Everything is so beautiful and simple here at the bottom of the pool.

I think I’ll stay.

August

celestial harmony

Thunder and rain after a drought, and the collective sigh of the grass.

September

Honor Bright

By sheer luck, I was on Don’s murder jury. I talked the others down from Death to 20 years. Least I could do, since I was the real killer.

October

NEW TOMB

10pm. We knock on the door and run to the treehouse, giggling.

Midnight. A knock at the treehouse door.

“Guess who.”

November

Peace at Last

I’d trade all the SuperBowls ever played to have Jennie back, complaining about my watching them.

December

Layaway

He could have put the ring on time payments. If he only had, he wouldn’t be holding up the rose garden and I wouldn’t have an aching back. Men!

Go to the Flashbacks link for all years’ Hot Flashes.