About

My work friends gave me the nickname “Den Mother” because they say it suits my office persona (as in, “Someone has to be the grown-up around here; it might as well be me.”)

These musings are commentary on whatever interests me, which at any given might be politics, religion, music, sports, or simply remarks about my own life. A few readers know my real identity; most probably don’t. While I say nothing here I haven’t said to people I know in real life, I maintain anonymity on this blog simply because I can.

So who exactly is the Den Mother? I’m a 50-something single mother. I work to live, not live to work. If I had my way and money were no object, I would do something completely different. I am involved in several volunteer activities and always seem to overextend myself.

Politically, I am more conservative than I used to be, but my positions on a number of issues make it a challenge to label me. Small-L libertarian sounds better and better all the time. I am an active Roman Catholic with a healthy streak of my grandfather’s Protestantism. I am an ardent feminist but reject identity politics. I once favored government spending on social programs, before I learned how counter-productive those programs are. Now, I tend to want my government to keep the hell out of other people’s business unless someone is getting hurt. I have actually read the United States Constitution, so argue with me about it at your own risk. I have no patience for people who criticize my opinions but can’t defend their own.

I’m passionate and romantic, though most people have never seen that side of me. I like children, and by and large they like me. I enjoy playing with other people’s dogs, but if I had to have a pet of my own, it would be a cat. Cats are much more independent.

My favorite sport is baseball, my favorite color blue, my favorite song “Let It Be” by the Beatles. I like beer at the ballpark, a margarita (rocks, no salt) at a bar, and red wine at dinner. I prefer a small car with a stick shift. I wish I could wear my Birkenstock sandals or clogs every day because they’re the only shoes that never make my feet hurt.

I’m fairly tech savvy but nowhere near as cutting-edge as some people I know. Still, I have amassed a small collection of gadgets. I am morally opposed to the iEmpire. I miss my BlackBerry.