Mrs. Allen Makes

In many ways, the first day of September 2021 looked a lot like the first day of September 2020 for me. The first day of my school year...

I'll be honest: I thought I would have written something by now. I could have written a post all about how my thesis defense went (I...

I keep dreaming about the first day of school. This is an annoying phenomenon for a number of reasons (e.g. that I specifically prepared...

Reflecting on this June now past, I keep thinking about the phrase "long June." How lovely it would sound in a poem with its two...

Rachel 1 month ago: "[May] is already full of plans: spending Mother's Day weekend with my family to celebrate my brother's college...

When I started a blog, I always told myself I wouldn't be one of those bloggers who abandons the blog for a spell and then comes...

March in Wisconsin has taught me that endings are untidy. According to the calendar, winter ends, but only if you are very lucky does the...

January was too long; February was too short. Normally I take this time each month to pause and reflect on what has just passed, but I am...

If I'd had my way, the Christmas tree would have come down by New Year's. But since my husband refused to take down the tree and I as a...

Our first snow this year arrived without warning. When I took Dobby out around five that morning, the ground was bare; by the time...

In my memory, my childhood Thanksgivings are virtually indistinct from one another. Each year featured my mother, wrist-deep in the...

In the Midwest, October is the epitome of fall. Once the Indian summer of September has burnt out, autumn truly begins in all her blazing...

It seems as though fall came early this year. Two weeks into September, a tree that lines a street along my walking circuit started to...

There's something irrationally sad about August. You're coming off a fabulous summer––maybe a vacation, at least some sleeping in here or...

Although the calendar says differently, in my mind, when July ends, so does summer. July means road trips and relaxation, while August is...

In the summer heat of my childhood, I found myself longing for January. Whenever I was outside on hot days, I would think back to the...

Tonight, our apartment is full of boxes. Our drawers are empty, our bookcases are clear, and our closets are bare. Tomorrow, we are...

May has always been a special month in my life. For me, it's always been a time of celebrating––birthdays in my family, graduations,...

I had hoped things would be on their way back to normal by now. Originally, they were supposed to be, yet here we are, quarantined until...

March was supposed to be a great month. We started off with a calendar full of plans––I would be finishing one term of classes and...