Mary Ann Hoyt’s collection of humorous essays are tongue-in-cheek views of her everyday observations and quirky experiences. The pages are filled with anecdotes about her fear of hummingbirds, the burial of the family cat in a cardboard box decorated with her son’s Grateful Dead pencil drawings, and her concern that, because of her unphotogenic smile, she won’t have enough decent photos for the obligatory collage at her funeral. Surviving an interstate move after retirement,with all its challenges and four adult children weighing in, gave her fodder for much to write about.

Mary Ann finds humor in all of life’s situations, both good and bad. With a mixture of satire and sentiment, this book will coax a smile (and maybe a tear or two) from even the most serious reader, who will identify with many, if not all of her stories.