Gather 'round…
We’re headed to the North Shore tomorrow. To our beloved Gooseberry. Life’s thrown some sucker punches our way this year, and the enthusiasm is tempered, but still, deep down, it is there: the primordial pull towards the mighty Gitchi Gummi. I’ve got a plethora of reasons that this trip will inevitably be bittersweet, but also... Continue Reading →
Some Assembly Required by Anne Lamott Just as she chronicled the first year with her son, Sam, Anne Lamott this time lays bare her first year with Sam's son, Jax. And of course she does it beautifully. Lamott is Lamott, and the artistry with which she washes her familial story will keep me coming back... Continue Reading →
This post has been kind of falling together for a few days. How fitting that it's ready to hit the interwebs on Mother's Day... Anne Lamott wrote this letter to her Grandson Jax at 4 months old: "Dear Jax: Yesterday was your first Thanksgiving, and it is time for me to impart to you the secret... Continue Reading →
I was working through one of those loud and chaotic inner conversations with myself yesterday about how I want things to go. You know, in life. Do you have these? Well, this one got a bit heated, and me, myself, and I all had to take separate corners for a while there. In the end--when... Continue Reading →
All these years--there have been so many--I've been writing book reviews in Goodreads, and then copying and pasting things over here to m'blog, and maybe adding in a little bit more flavor as a sort of prelude. Apparently I think the followers of the blog are in it for something different than the Good People... Continue Reading →
I haven’t been writing much lately. Not enough time. Not enough brain space. Sometimes one has to withdraw from the writing to engage in the life. Let’s call it a Lenten switchup. I’ll be back after Pascha, I’m sure. But I have had great occasion recently to wonder with fear and trembling at the tremendous... Continue Reading →
"Within the heart are unfathomable depths. It is not a small vessel: and yet dragons and lions live there, and there are poisonous creatures and all the treasures of wickedness; rough, uneven paths are there, and gaping chasms. There, likewise, is God, there are the angels, there life and the Kingdom, there light and the... Continue Reading →
"Is it possible to practice noticing? I think so. But I also think it requires a suspension of yearning And a pause in the desire to be pouring something out of yourself. Noticing is about letting yourself out into the world, Rather than siphoning the world into yourself in order to transmute it into words.... Continue Reading →
We had ten male cardinals at the feeder yesterday. Six females hanging out in the wings. We don't usually get that many. Not at once. Beautiful! The blue jays were missing yesterday, too, like we were part of some neighborhood bird exchange program. Hmm... We did get another foot (and then some) of snow this... Continue Reading →
We've had another little snow hiatus. The Blizzard Warning begins soon. Scott took advantage of the lull yesterday, and cleared off a few of the vital areas. You know, for the preserving of the structural integrity of the dwelling. The house looks like this after his santa-shenanigans: Probably a good thing for the roof, and... Continue Reading →
The luge track is finding it's groove. And a deep groove it is. There is so much snow out there! We had the most excellent surprise of all our kids coming home this weekend.* Even the Arkansas kid showed up on the doorstep. So now you get to endure the photos of the throwback sledding... Continue Reading →
I was struck with the contrast of experience this week when my buddy, Andrew, from Andrew's View of the Week, posted a bit about how cold he was. He's from Cali, and he and I have... differing intolerances. He cannot abide the weather when it deigns to dip into the 40s. I cannot abide the... Continue Reading →
Tales From the Nexus 