Mel Miskimen

We get used to things. It could be a squeaky hinge on a door we don’t hear any more, or the way we automatically dodge the edge of a counter that sticks out just a little too far. As Lake Effect essayist Mel Miskimen works on her house, she wonders if she’s become too laid back:

I was in the upstairs front bedroom stripping the 1880s walls of 1980s wallpaper. It was a Saturday morning. The neighborhood was in the process of waking itself up, figuring out the plan for the rest of the day, and then ...

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Some are watching the daily news with bated breathe - waiting for new information about international relations, investigations, and other salacious details packed with political intrigue. But Lake Effect essayist Mel Miskimen is not among these throngs of political junkies. Instead, Miskimen has her sights set on 18th century Scotland.

Sunday, if you’d lost track, is Mother’s Day.  And if you’re not going to be with your mom, don’t forget to give her a call.  But this year, Lake Effect essayist Mel Miskimen thinks back on some calls she got from her mother:

The holidays can be tough for those who have lost a loved one. Essayist Mel Miskimen lost her mother in the spring and is facing her first Christmas without her: