Ann Anderson Evans

Grandpa and Grandma need snuggles, too

My church asked me to teach their sex education curriculum. It was difficult to find that fine line between telling too much and telling too little. My two fellow teachers and I laughed with each other over the fiction we were creating that we knew enough about sex to tell others about it. We knew aboutContinue reading “Grandpa and Grandma need snuggles, too”

Sleeping together

In a bar watching the Giants win a game in the football playoffs, we were sitting at a table opposite a couple who were watching the television behind us, while we watched the television behind them. She was never more than a few inches from him — his shoulder, his head, his hand, his leg. Continue reading “Sleeping together”

Precious love

Love is precious, though many people don’t act as if it were. For all my adult life, I have sought love, and now I have found it. My definition of “love” might be different from yours – what I have sought is the completeness and serenity which comes when you feel you are not alone,Continue reading “Precious love”

My legacy

I have begun to think about my legacy. Brooke Astor just died at 105, and if I live as long as she did (a dubious goal) I’ll have 40 more years, but not all of those years would be productive ones. My children are a big part of my legacy, and I also would beContinue reading “My legacy”

Changing Names

I am getting married, for the third time. I swore I’d never marry again, but I adore my fiancé and have no intention of ever living without him. In the previous two marriages, I changed my name for practical purposes when I married. I was getting annoyed with families where the mother was Smith, theContinue reading “Changing Names”

Clinging to things

I love my back yard. I’ve lived here alone for almost four years now, and my mother lived here for 40 years before that. I work every day at my desk, which looks out over the tops of the rhododendrons outside my office window onto the grass, the mass of trees — I only knowContinue reading “Clinging to things”

What to do with lingerie?

“I’m forty years old, and I never knew what to do with this stuff,” said Stephie after trying on a teddy and a long slip that had been part of my mother’s trousseau. My mother was married in the early 1930’s, and her family was wealthy enough to provide her with the best of everything.Continue reading “What to do with lingerie?”

Personal time

Giving up personal time is, for me, the worst part of living with someone. Every movement is touched by concerns about him — what would he like, what does he need, what would he enjoy? Including thoughts of the other in everything you do is what love is all about. Speaking personally, finding myself withoutContinue reading “Personal time”

The Book Blog

KISS AND RUN: The Single, Picky, and Indecisive Girl’s Guide to Overcoming Her Fear of Commitment. By Elina Furman What a good book! She’s thought of everything, and mentioned everything (including sitting home alone with your Rabbit), zeroed in on all our excuses, uncovered our stupid assumptions, and given us ways to deal with ourContinue reading “The Book Blog”

News & Book Reviews — Page 31