Julia Sneden
Julia Sneden is a writer, friend, wife, mother, Grandmother, care-giver and Senior Women Web's Resident Observer. Her career has included editorial work for Sunset Magazine, 20th Century Fox and Universal Studios as well as teaching. Julia is a passionate opponent of this country’s educational system, which she feels is floundering. She lives in North Carolina. jbsneden can be reached by email (at) triad.rr.com
Julia Sneden's archive of articles.
On Losing a Sib
But the remarkable thing about siblings is that no matter how tangential the relationship, there is always a core memory of shared childhood. It is indestructible. If you’re lucky, that core is made of love and respect. Ours was, even when we didn’t agree on things. And boy, did we disagree on things. There really wasn’t much chance for sibling rivalry in our household, because we were just so different from each other. more »
History by the Thimbleful
Managing to clothe eight children on a clergyman’s tiny salary must have been quite a feat. Mind you, this was in the days when mothers had to: (a) draw water from a creek or, if they were lucky, from a well; (b) cook on a wood stove, and keep the fire burning because it also heated the lower floor of the house; (c) wash clothes, including diapers, by hand; (d) wash and dry dishes for ten people and often more, by hand; (e) iron with a sod iron that was heated by setting it on the top of the stove, no thermostatic controls; (f) teach the younger children to read and write and cipher, when her husband was assigned to a remote posting where there were no schools; and (g) make or remake clothing for all members of the family. more »
More or Less
Taking the SAT verbal section was a cinch, as was placing out of bonehead English in college. My earliest bosses, too, appreciated my ability to clean up their lousy grammar when I quietly re-wrote their letters. At least I think they did. more »
The Wedding Dress
She would smooth it gently with her hands and then press her hand to her nostrils. Perhaps she was inhaling the trace of her mother’s scent; perhaps she was simply remembering the feel of that slender body. more »
