You would have been 85 today. Eighty-five. It is so hard for me to fathom, because you are frozen in time for me. I think about you and picture someone in decent health, quick and strong, handsome and deeply tanned from working outside. I never picture you the way you were just before you died. … More Never Change
“I cried when I wrote this, I’ll always remember….” I was helping my daughter put away some new clothes today. She has had the same dresser and armoire since she was born, and back when her clothes were smaller and took up less space, I claimed the top two drawers for some stuff that needed … More Day 4: Heartbreak
When I was a little kid I used to sit for hours in my mom’s old bedroom in my grandparents’ house, at the foot of a dresser that is now in my own guest room, and look at old pictures. The bottom two drawers of that dresser were full to overflowing with photographs, and I … More Magic
It was summer, and I was small–6 or 7. MaMa left the car running and walked me by the hand into the Prosperity Post Office. We were on our way to the grocery store or some other mundane destination, but time with her was never ordinary, and this was no exception. Stamps were 20 cents … More Remembering MaMa
I’ve been thinking a lot about this unfinished draft since I wrote about it on Sunday, and there’s no doubt in my mind that although a lot of other things occupy my time, this draft has been an overwhelming mental and emotional roadblock for me, and I really need to put it behind me. I’m not … More The one I can’t forget: December 2007
“What fed your sweet tooth? Write about a favorite candy you remember from childhood.” I don’t remember how old my cousin Tanya and I were when we started walking up the hill to the store by ourselves. What I do remember is a handful of change still warm from my grandfather’s wallet, blackberries and pink … More Sweet
Quick–tell me what you see when you hear the word “sew.” If you’re like me you are picturing a warmly lit room, reminiscent of a Renaissance painting, possibly involving a fireplace and a large somnolent dog curled up at the feet of a woman whose only thought in the world is the careful placement of her needle in the … More The fabric whisperer
This was about to be one of those sorry introductions about how I haven’t blogged in weeks because this is such a busy time for people in the education field, and how even though I’m not in the classroom anymore I am just not in the mindset to sit down and actually put words on a page. … More What, you want a title too?
Now with pictures! It’s New Year’s Eve, and I am finding it hard to type, what with being jacked up on Albuterol and all. I had heard that phrase before–“jacked up on Albuterol“–and I assumed it was some sort of anti-depressant. Turns out it’s an asthma treatment. Huh. And that’s the end of the story of … More It will take you until next year to read about my Christmas vacation
My mother and youngest sister (Little) left my house this morning–actually, morning is a loose term for when they left unless you are, I don’t know, a senile rooster. Anyway, they left my house for the airport because they are spending Thanksgiving in California with my other sister, Middle. The rational, grown-up part of me thinks this … More The really important things
one small corner of the universe 