His periwinkle eyes were my first clue. Standing there alone, clutching a five dollar bill, he looked confused about where the line ended. I motioned for him to cut in front of me. He moved up to the counter. “Can I have my mom’s drink, please?” The cashier seemed confused. “What, honey?” “My mom’s drink.”… Read More Small-Town Ledger
I once read somewhere that when you’re depressed, you write better. This kinda makes sense to me. When you’re depressed you find shadows, irony, pain – everywhere. Your inner voice shouts at you over small things no one else notices. Writing helps quiet it down. There have been times when I’ve literally sat at the… Read More Just Hanging with the Surface Dwellers
I need to get off the laptop because after visiting the beautiful and gracious homes of my two dear friends, I realized that while I’ve been messing around blogging, our house has turned to squalor. When I came home from vacation, my feet stuck to the kitchen floor, new cob webs had multiplied in the… Read More A Dirty Re-entry
I’m on vacation with my family and I’m in the lobby of the hotel waiting for them to shower. I found a computer with free internet service so I thought I’d steal a minute to check in and report my favorite quote from vacation so far. After a long weekend in Farmington, CT we drove… Read More Boston
My week in 10 questions (am I really supposed to answer these?): 1. Mommy, you’re not going to throw away this sponge are you? I love this sponge (holding the dirty, kitchen sponge up to her cheek, caressing it). Please pinky-promise me you will not throw away this sponge. 2. What? You’re getting a new… Read More Um, No?
My mother lives in a small house with a bright yellow kitchen. From every window you can look out and see nowhere, because that’s where my mother lives — in the middle of nowhere. If you’ve ever driven down a country highway and seen a small house on a vast piece of land and wondered… Read More Going Nowhere
Summer isn’t summer without books, right? I can’t think of anything more delicious than coming in from the beach, cranking up the fan and crawling under cool sheets for a late afternoon read. I get all goose-bumpy just thinking about it (tip: if your afternoon can accomodate it – add a cold beer to your… Read More Summer Reading
I had this post in mind. I was going to write about the contents of my refrigerator and how I’m always art-directing it, moving the melon to the front, cream cheese to the back, stacking yogurt with the labels all facing out. It’s a sickness, but it gives me such satisfaction. But since I was… Read More Long Post, Big D.
Friday was my youngest’s last day of kindergarten. I was in such a hurry with thank-you cards to write, snacks to pack, checks to fill out and forms to drop off, that I didn’t take a minute, even a second, to grasp the enormity of what this means. I’ve been waiting nine years for this.… Read More Last Day of Kindergarten
While I was shaking my fist at middle age and rambling on about poetry and peonies, here’s what really happened: Caroline had the flu, Elizabeth cried because we had to cancel her sleepover, and my husband was out-of-town. After the tequila, the chocolate-chip ice cream came out. After that, it’s all a blur. In the… Read More 44th Birthday Update
Small Town. Small Times. 