Catherine Sevenau is a writer, humorist, and storyteller living in Sonoma, California. The stories in this series are excerpts from her book, Through Any Given Door, a Family Memoir. The full memoir is available as a web series at Sevenau.com. A longtime Realtor and Owner/Broker at CENTURY 21 Wine Country, she can be reached at [email protected]
Prologue to a memoir
My brother Larry was under the illusion our mother was a good mother, but he had a different childhood than we did. My sisters believed... Continue
Food and love
When I was not yet ten, Mom put me on a plane to visit Carleen. My sister took one look at me and decided I was never going back, and... Continue
Be grateful for the beauty and mystery of it all
Credo for today Why am I here? Who am I? What do I believe? How shall I live my life? Where do I stand? When do I speak out? Ten... Continue
Sweeney’s Penny Candy
1950s San Francisco… On Haight and Belvedere, tightly wedged between my father’s dime store and the Superba Market, was Sweeney’s... Continue
A crazy quilt
In 1894, Charles Chatfield married Nellie Chamberlin, a no-nonsense Catholic girl. Nellie was stubborn and headstrong, and although... Continue
19 nods to Facebook
I can quit feeling guilty about not sending Christmas and birthday cards. I’m partial to posts that are interesting, insightful,... Continue
My new love
On his way home from the park, Emmett stops by my real estate office to say hi. “Hey, I haven’t seen you since you were a little... Continue
Vacation postscript
My brother, his wife Marian, and I took our fifth road trip to gather family history, sifting through county records and newspaper... Continue
Heaven at four
My son, Matt ~ When I picked him up from Moon Valley School, I could see he was upset. “Mom, do you know what happens to us when... Continue
More conversations with grandkids
Righteous Indignation ~ I pick up my granddaughter from school on her third day of kindergarten. “So, how was it?” “Well,”... Continue
