Table of Contents
1 Eccentrics R Us
1 That Crazy Squirrel Lady Heather Rodin 1
2 Now That's Cheap Jan Bono 5
3 Secret Family Language Lucia Paul 8
4 Clean Living Dale Kueter 11
5 It's All About the Dogs Connie K. Pombo 13
6 Classically Driven Barbara Walker 16
7 The Sighting Cynthia Briggs 20
8 Give an Inch, Get a Mile Marianne Fosnow 23
9 Starstruck Barbara LoMonaco 26
10 A Honey of a Christmas Rosemary McLaughlin 30
2 Mom Did What?
11 Swipe, Don't Tap Bronwyn McIntyre 37
12 Thanksgiving Dressing Cindy Legorreta 40
13 Chinese Takeout Mara A. Cohen 43
14 My First Board Meeting Karen Ekstrom 46
15 Lucille Ball Junior Helen A. Scieszka 50
16 Saturated Patience Madeline Evans 53
17 The Holiday Merger Dawn Turzio 55
18 A Table with a View Helen A. Scieszka 58
19 Dog Gone Clean Betty Maloney 60
20 The Endless Summer April Knight 62
3 Happily Ever Laughter
21 Everything's Going South Christie Collins Lypka 69
22 The Mysterious Package John Elliott 78
23 Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow Jan Kendall St. Cyr 84
24 Quacking Up Bill Rouhana 88
25 March Madness Erika Hoffman 91
26 The Lost Key Mark Rickerby 94
27 Victoria's Worst Kept Secret Jase Graves 97
28 Showing Off? John M. Scanlan 101
29 Hittin' the Sauce Cathi LaMarche 103
30 And the Award Goes to… James Snyder 107
4 We're All Nuts Here
31 Holy Smoke! Veronica I. Coldiron 113
32 It's a Yoder Thing Hannah Yoder 117
33 My Incorrigible Uncle Bud Laura L. Bradford 120
34 Double Jeopardy Troy Seate 124
35 Mistaken Identity Laura Dailey-Pelle 127
36 A Basket Full of Trouble Jo Anne Check 129
37 Flying Fish Cj Cole 132
38 The Gift that Keeps on Giving Jeanne Kraus 135
39 Queen of the Porcelain Throne Vera Frances 138
40 The Zezimas' Christmas Letter Jerry Zezima 141
5 Childhood Hijinks
41 A Few More Gray Hairs John Elliott 147
42 The Day My Kids Broke Out of Jail Sarah Lyons 153
43 Out of the Mouths of Babes Joyce Laird 158
44 Be Careful What You Dream D.E. Brigham 162
45 Busted Martha Roggli 165
46 A Nose for Trouble Christy Breedlove 167
47 Crazy about Her Brother Mike McCrobie 170
48 What Goes Around… B.J. Taylor 174
49 Drama in the Negev John Elliott 177
50 Halloween in May Shannon Stocker 183
6 Grand and Great
51 Granny's on the News Kristi Adams 191
52 Bubby Gets Her Way Chana R. Rubinstein 194
53 Dragging the Gut Pamela Dawes-Tambornino 197
54 The Jacket David Fingerman 200
55 Toaster Perfection Joy Cook 203
56 She Did It Herself Marsha Henry Goff 207
57 Grandma Was a Nun David Warren 209
58 The College Fund Jenny Wilson 212
59 Gangsta Billy Gwen Cooper 216
60 All by Himself Pamela Gilsenan 219
7 Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh
61 Never Tell Anyone Gina Farella Howley 225
62 Saturday Morning Wrestling Kathy Boecher 228
63 The Spurs Don't Suck Melissa Wootan 230
64 My Forward Thinking In-Laws Florence C. Blake 233
65 Can You Hear Me Now? Barbara LoMonaco 235
66 Papa's Biggest Mistake Debbie Sistare 238
67 My Brother's Haircut Rob Harshman 240
68 Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks Susan Sanchez 244
69 Never Let a Genius Plan Your Funeral Becky G 247
70 Am I Dead Yet? Amy Newmark 250
71 A Diamond in the Rough Michelle Campbell 253
8 Blending In
72 When a Salad Is Not a Salad S.E. White 259
73 Graduation with My Three Husbands Suzette Martinez Standring 262
74 A Bountiful and Blessed Meal C. Joy 267
75 Who's Who? Kay Conner Pliszka 270
76 R You Listening? Amy Newmark 272
77 Stepping Up to the Plate Josephine A. Fitzpatrick 275
78 Just a Few Big Lies Saralee Perel 279
79 One More Day Cate Bronson 282
80 Counting to Five Sarah Slattery 286
9 Family Fun
81 Flight of Fancy Senia J. Owensby 293
82 Madeline the Mannequin Arthur Wiknik, Jr 297
83 Gone On to a Better Place Miriam Van Scott 300
84 A Cast of Five Barbara LoMonaco 303
85 Road-Trip Souvenir Cheryl E. Uhrig 307
86 My Carnival Summers Nora Beason 310
87 A Cruel joke John M. Scanlan 312
88 Oleo Run Anna Anderson 314
89 Hot Dog and Bun Conspiracy Ela Oakland 318
90 The Family Vacation: A Cautionary Tale Sally Friedman 321
91 A Very Mary Pat Christmas Shannon Stocker 325
10 Now! Get lt
92 The Deli Fella Melanie Chartoff 333
93 My Two Grandmas Sarah Foster 337
94 Threads that Bind Cheryl E. Uhrig 341
95 Outspoken and Outright Outrageous Janet Lynn Mitchell 344
96 Bio-Dad Virginia B. Harmon 347
97 Marry Her Off! Jen P. Simmons 351
98 An Alarming Situation Gwen Hart 355
99 My Mom the Worrier Dana Klosner-Wehner 358
100 The Head Megan Pincus Kajitani 362
101 My Dysfunctional Family Adrienne Sladek 365
Meet Our Contributors 367
Meet Amy Newmark 381
Thank You 383
About Chicken Soup for the Soul 384