There is a funny, but perhaps universal thing about children and their parents. We tend to think our parents had no lives until we came along, born or adopted, we think it is all about us. Truthfully, there are some things we do not want to know about our parents and perhaps that is asContinue reading “At Home in Onset: A Jack and Maggie Story”
Author Archives: msomerville2014
Scents
My sense of smell is the least effective sense in my body, having been dulled, I suspect, from over 55 years of sneezing, snuffling and blowing, courtesy of allergies, seasonal colds and frequent bouts of bronchitis. I may have singled handedly kept the facial tissue industry in business. There are several scents that I associateContinue reading “Scents”
The Cranberry Bread Ritual
Onset is a village in the town of Wareham, Massachusetts. Onset/Wareham boast two main industries: Tourism and Cranberries. My whole upbringing was rooted in the tourist industry, but there is a special place in my heart for cranberries. If I had been formed from the earth, the clay used to make me would haveContinue reading “The Cranberry Bread Ritual”
Jack and Maggie
Jack and Maggie had several things in common: They were both born in 1910 to large Catholic families. Neither family situation was ideal or easy if anyone’s is, and although it was not unusual for the times, they were both out of school and working at the end of 8th grade and were youngContinue reading “Jack and Maggie”
Water, Water Everywhere
Cape Cod is a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean as though the collective towns and tourist traps were either flexing a muscle or waving an invitation that says “Come play with us!” Depending on where you slice the peninsula in your imagination, people all the way up to Boston will say thatContinue reading “Water, Water Everywhere”
The Nylon Salesman and the Lady
It was Christmas Eve day 1941, and Margaret was out on the town with friends. She loved the opera and she would save up the needed money and stand inline for hours, just to get standing room in the opera. She started sewing when she was in fourth grade and made her own clothes. SheContinue reading “The Nylon Salesman and the Lady”
The Year My Neighbor Stole My Christmas Tree
I had been a single parent for 10 years when I met my second husband. When I had moved into my own apartment ten years earlier, I had signed the lease when I was “great with child” with my third child. I waddled into the rental office and to this day I am convinced theyContinue reading “The Year My Neighbor Stole My Christmas Tree”
The Beach Girl Poem
When I arrived at my new parish, I learned that one of my parishioners was also a Beach Girl, from New Jersey. When I told her I was going to be going home for a quick two days for the first time in twenty-five years, and asked if I could bring her anything she said,Continue reading “The Beach Girl Poem”
Christmas Cards
I have been thinking about the tradition of writing, mailing or giving Christmas cards lately. In some ways it seems so 1950’s. I remember my mother keeping a list of names inside the cover of a large Christmas card box, so she could check off each one as she signed it. No Christmas letters forContinue reading “Christmas Cards”
The Beach Girl Chronicles
My name is Michele Marcellino Somerville. I would not normally introduce myself in that way, but my maiden name is an important part of my stories. I grew up in Onset, Massachusetts, but left home in 1969 for a brief sojourn to Washington State. I returned home in November of 1969 and left for goodContinue reading “The Beach Girl Chronicles”
