Roberta McReynolds
Roberta McReynolds retired after an 18 year career in the commercial printing industry. She particularly enjoys activities involving children, the elderly, and cancer patients & survivors, who impart new perspectives on life. Gardening, art and volunteer service fill the hours and serve to fuel her life-long passion for writing. Rediscovering the world through the eyes of her inner child keeps her imagination fresh.
Roberta welcomes your comments: bertographer@charter.net
Swinging From the Branches of My Family Tree
Roberta McReynolds writes: The genealogy bug bit me when I was exposed to this 'illness' through my Aunt Bessie. She would spread out her albums of family research at annual family reunions, hoping to deliberately infect the younger generations. I honestly don't know if my elders would be more pleased or horrified at the results; research inevitably digs up surprises and secrets ... but more about that later. more »
We're Not Energy-Vampires: A Personal Report Card
Roberta McReynolds writes: The Energy Index for our home was 834; we had used 39% less energy than similar homes, which our utility estimated saved us about $530 last year. This has made me even more conscious of turning off those light switches and making a glass of ice tea instead of turning on the air-conditioner this summer. The next time we meet, if you notice my blouse is a bit wrinkled, you’ll know it’s not because I’m lazy ... I’m just trying to get good grades on my next report card. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! more »
It's a Gray Area: Madame Metamorphosis, a Rebel Against the Passage of Time
Roberta McReynolds writes: The truth of the matter is that I’d hit an awkward point I hadn’t foreseen. The lights over my bathroom mirror still reflected the shine and sparkle I loved. (They don’t call them ‘vanity lights’ without a reason.) But when I caught my image in a window, a store dressing room mirror, or worse yet, in a photograph, I was shocked by reality. The white had become more dispersed through the brown making it appear ... no big surprise here ... drab gray. more »
Life in the Kingdom of Chaos Where Treasures and Pretties Were In a Royal Mess
Roberta McReynolds writes: Once upon a time there was an imperial matriarch who reigned over the Kingdom of Chaos. The queen presided with a stubborn ferocity and insisted on fortifying her castle walls with buttresses of cardboard boxes bursting at the seams with mystifying collections. Here’s the plain truth: your 1942 phone bill is not a valuable antique. No one in your family wants to inherit it. more »