November 16th, 2009 | Genealogy, General, Society at Large
The subject line of Emily’s e-mail was “James and the Giant Fall.” The funny headline all but trumpeted the reassuring news contained in the note. James is the sixth of my mother’s grandchildren. A gangly, bearded boy, he is a lover of wild places and high elevations....
November 9th, 2009 | Gardens and Gardening, General, Pets
Theo was not pleased. She parked herself in the doorway to the office, as though following instructions about seeking safety during an earthquake. Her tail locked around her legs and her yellow eyes gleamed disapproval. I wasn’t quite sure what the noise was. It...
October 17th, 2009 | Education, Friends, General, visual arts
I am still singing our tunes. A week ago it was our 40th reunion at Emma Willard. Thirty-five members of the class of 1969 ate and drank together, hugged and squealed, wandered old haunts alone and with others. Two rehearsals prepared us no longer so vocal choristers...
September 25th, 2009 | Gardens and Gardening, Genealogy, General
There are two snowy clematis on the fence that guards the edge of the retaining wall, twin blossoms turning their faces toward the sky. They caught me somewhat by surprise. In the spring I was thrilled by their glossy leaves and cluster of blooms waving at me. It...
September 17th, 2009 | General, Shopping
They forced out my Dark Side. Again. I did not get up this rainy September morning on the wrong side of the bed. I did not glance in the bathroom mirror and wave hello to Scary Ellen. Not at all. I rose quietly so as not to disturb the rest of my Dear One. I scuffed...
September 11th, 2009 | General, Popular Culture, Shopping
Physical decay is inevitable. Poor hearing is diminished by the constant whine of tinnitus. Myopia gets more myopic. Bulges expand and gravity pulls them downward. I’ve been test-driving my new “desk specs” and they improve my posture—I no longer hunch...
September 6th, 2009 | Friends, Genealogy, General
Thank heavens for the television this morning. We had eaten breakfast and were still without newspapers at 8:00, midmorning by our standards. Once I completed the border on an afghan I started crocheting in 2007, I was left with nothing to do at all. On “Weekend...
August 28th, 2009 | Cooking, Kitchen and Table, General, Popular Culture
We just got back from seeing “Julie and Julia.” I howled much of the way through. At moments I made sure my Dear One did not see me crying. It was a wonderful film, not perfect perhaps in structure, but pitch-perfect in tone. I see that Mastering the Art of French...
August 9th, 2009 | General, Popular Culture, Society at Large
It’s true enough that everyone wants be a millionaire, and hope, as they say, springs eternal, which is why the Lottery thrives in times of economic despair and why game shows seduce so many of the viewing audience. I myself have stuffed a few tickets in the Christmas...
July 21st, 2009 | Genealogy, General, Shopping, Women
Saturday night my Dear One and I were up to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to celebrate brother T’s 50th birthday. It was a wonderful party and about a hundred people representing every phase of his life were there to offer felicitations. I also found it an unnerving...
