I started my career as a humor writer shortly before turning 10. My first satire was a thank-you note telling Aunt Rachel how beautiful the blue desk set she gave me for Christmas looked in my pink bedroom.

After that promising start, my humor writing stalled. Journalism school got in the way. Then it was a reporting career spent writing for small dailies about what pastries members of the chamber of commerce ate at their breakfast meetings. When my son was born, I left newspaper reporting to freelance for medical and science journals. My articles had all the witty charm of a prescription package insert.

When my son fled the nest, I finally had the time to write humor. Instead, I went back to college to become a teacher. I now substitute teach, which isn’t bad for someone who appreciates wildlife. I can work when I want and take off when I want. My husband Bob’s job is just as flexible. So when the urge strikes, we hit the road or the skies. In the past six years, we visited eight countries.

Still, I felt something missing from my life. This time I couldn’t come up with a single excuse not to get back to humor writing.

My newest essay will always appear on the home page, under the heading Hot Off the Press. Others I wrote this year are in the chapter Still Warm – 2020 posts. The rest of my essays appear in 2018 posts, 2019 posts or Golden Oldies. The same essays also are organized by subject. The clickable chapter list is at the bottom of this page. Travel Articles is the only chapter where I get serious, describing my most recent travel adventures.

I also tweet witticisms and alerts about new blog posts. You can follow me @OriginalCynOL.

I live in South Florida with Bob and a revolving assortment of house lizards. Our adult son Kevin lives out of state.