Category Archives: Suzanne Strazza

When I was growing up, we never had a garden. We had a beautiful yard: green grass, rhododendron, dogwood trees, but the only edibles that my mom grew were just enough chives to go on our baked potatoes. Back then, … Continue reading →

Someone called me an angel the other day, but my guess is that secretly he was thinking, “Idiot.” I’ve taken on another teenage boy; welcomed him into my home, my family. Holy shit, right? So he’s this great kid who … Continue reading →

“I consider turning my computer on to be work.” “Oh, I am right there with you.” Liar. Totally full of shit. I am on my computer all the time. When email really got up and going, I refused. I believed … Continue reading →

In the last month or so, several, no many, people have asked me about this list that was published years ago; some want to remind themselves, some want to remind their husbands and some haven’t seen it but have heard … Continue reading →

Okay, it’s official. I do not like winter. I am so damn sick of it right now and I am sorry to whine, but I am getting persnickety in my old age, so I’m going to say whatever pleases me. … Continue reading →

Two truths and a lie: * We used to live in tents * We were part of a Mexican drug deal * We’ve been to Disneyland If you’ve known me for any length of time, you know that not only … Continue reading →

What’s in my grocery shopping cart for the week: • Gallons upon gallons of whole milk • 164-load laundry detergent (that I had to drag across the floor, unable to lift it) • Family-size box of instant mashed potatoes (along … Continue reading →

The first winter after I began working for Outward Bound, I returned to my beloved small town in Utah where I had lived years before. I was excited to give up “traditional” life and become a professional outdoor educator/dirtbag who … Continue reading →

Driving in Durango the other day, I saw a baby blue Vølkswagen Rabbit. Instantly my brain (and then my mouth) said, somewhat wistfully, “Tricia Kirkland.” I haven’t thought about Tricia Kirkland in at least 100 years and don’t even know … Continue reading →

This has been the year of discovering myself. I spent 15 years losing any sense of myself in a bad marriage. By the time it ended, all I could say for certain was that I was a person who cried … Continue reading →

Let’s really talk about Social Networking. This is not about how Facebook has changed the world, or how, when I was growing up, we had to actually dial telephones and then stand there next to the wall mount because there … Continue reading →

I just spent the entire day at a middle school basketball tournament. I actually really enjoy them and understand basketball a whole lot better than I do football. Plus I get to spend time with the other players’ parents who … Continue reading →

As I lie here in my bed in my parents’ house in ID, hacking up a lung because I always get sick when I show up at my mommy’s house, I have had a lot of time to think over … Continue reading →

Remember Elly May Clampett? She was the zoo-keeping, animal-loving, never-hurta- fly daughter in “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Well, that’s who I’ve been compared to all my life. Suzanne of the soft heart. Suzanne, lover of strays. Suzanne, protector of all creatures … Continue reading →

At work, I am responsible for the very generic “info@…” e-mail inbox. I have my own also, but the general mailbox gets a lot more mail and what comes in there tends to be a bit more entertaining than in … Continue reading →

“Nothing matters in this whole wide world When you’re in love with a Jersey girl.” —Tom Waits I am totally revisiting the Jersey days — it’s kind of weird. When I left New Jersey a hundred years ago, it was … Continue reading →

Note: This column is NOT about my children. Since we have recently discovered that their friends apparently read the Free Press and like to share it, in school, I have been forbidden to ever use them again as a topic for … Continue reading →

So, I am standing in line at Walmart of all places. I am with my three sons (the two I gave birth to and the one who seems to live on my couch and calls me mom). We’re in the … Continue reading →

I am obsessed. Completely. And no, it’s not about a man. It’s skiing. Cross-country skiing to be specific. Classical cross-country skiing to be exact. I am a plodder. I don’t go fast. I don’t fly up hills. I don’t race … Continue reading →

This story is specifically for my friend, D, with whom I love to share animal stories. Not long ago, a friend and I headed out on a girls’ trip to south-central Utah. It was a five-day escape for two friends … Continue reading →

Every year, when the snow flies, I am reminded of my winter in Utah, where every minute of my day was influenced by snow. And with those thoughts, comes the story of one particular day. . . . I was … Continue reading →

I just went to a wedding. But this was no ordinary wedding. This was Lucy’s wedding. Who’s Lucy? She was my very best friend in high school and the only person from high school with whom I keep in touch. … Continue reading →

So when you are suddenly single, the question that spins around both inside your own head and from the people surrounding you is… What about dating? During the years that I was married, I thanked the heavens above on a … Continue reading →

1. My parents are incredible people. 2. Bad TV isn’t always bad. 3. Retail therapy really does have its place. 4. Never underestimate the power of flowering houseplants – especially the ones that you haven’t killed off. 5. Good friends … Continue reading →

As the entire world knows, this has not been the easiest 12 months for me. So, on the year marker of the beginning of my personal hell, I decided that I needed to do something different. I turned 45 this … Continue reading →

1. Sleeping alone is no longer a novelty. 2. The other side of the bed is covered with trashy magazines, the clickers, extra clothing and cats. I clear it off only to change the sheets. 3. There are no longer … Continue reading →

I am 15 years old, sitting at a table on the expansive front porch of the Colonial Inn, the table is covered with Marlboro Lights and Long Island Iced Teas. I would never have gotten in on my own, but … Continue reading →

50 things you should know before we date… 1. Rumor has it, I snore. But I think this is just smack talk. 2. I am the crazy cat lady. Four cats, three of whom are asleep on me as I … Continue reading →

Bought a brown velvet couch. Bought a table that I painted red. Yelled at several nice people who tried to help fit the brown couch and soon-to-be-red table into the back of my Subaru using words along the lines of, … Continue reading →

Last fall, I found myself driving over the hill to Durango at 4 a.m. without a drop of caffeine in me. Why? You ask. Well, because I was with folks who, for religious reasons, do not indulge in the toxic … Continue reading →

“You keep chocolate, where?” “In my underwear drawer.” Duh, doesn’t everyone? “Well, that’s just weird.” Why would my co-worker think it’s weird to hide chocolate in my delicates? Oh. Because she doesn’t have children. But when I mention this conversation … Continue reading →

The first time I colored my hair was in college. I had a date for a formal dinner dance with a young man from a VERY respectable family. I won’t name names here, but suffice it to say that there … Continue reading →

Price of a baby hamster: $8 Price of dinner for two at the Kennebec: $75 Price of taking mangled, chewed-up hamster to the vet: OUTRAGEOUS!!! Just before Christmas, trapped in our house, watching the snow fall and fall and fall … Continue reading →

My mamma always called me “Ellie Mae.” My pappa called me that too. Now, so does my husband. Ever since I was a little girl, I was the kid that brought in strays. Kittens, puppies, broken-winged birds, rabid skunks, weird … Continue reading →

I hate Halloween. Truly hate it. And of course I have two young sons for whom Halloween is the culmination of all things cool and exciting. Everything that I have decided that I will be against comes out on October … Continue reading →

I’ve started running. My neighbors are thinking “Is that what that is?” Yes, believe it or not, it is. It was time to get off my rapidly expanding duff and get some exercise. Due to various illnesses, injuries and ailments, … Continue reading →

Greetings from the land of the rich and famous. I am here, clearly outside of Montezuma County, CO, visiting my parents (who are neither rich nor famous). Yes, this is a place where you can spot a celebrity on every … Continue reading →

I just skipped my 25th high-school reunion. I know you are saying to yourself, “Gosh, Suzanne, you can’t possibly be that old!” But, yes, I am. I have to admit, it has taken me a while to digest this fact. … Continue reading →

I am now the proud owner of three quarterhorses. It is a dream come true. I am one of those gals who never grew out of my pre-teen (read: pre-sex) obsession with those four-legged beasts. So, when we had the … Continue reading →

Dear Suzy-Q, I am new to cross-country skiing and desperately want to fit in. As the county’s number-one fashionista, what is your opinion on proper attire for crosscountry skiing? Since I can’t ski, I need to at least look good. … Continue reading →