"He packs wool sheared in April, honey in combs, linen, leather tanned from deerhide, and vinegar in a barrel hooped by hand at the forge’s fire." American poet Donald Hall, Ox-Cart Man This book has a permanent place in our collection. There are a handful of books that have a permanent presence in my life.… Continue reading 2 books that cozy up to fall
Category: family life
7 things I’ve learned in a week without running water
"When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Psalm 61:2 It started before dawn one day last week. Three of us were already up and having breakfast when a low rumble began in the backyard and morphed into a trembling that could be felt through the house. Our… Continue reading 7 things I’ve learned in a week without running water
When life’s not like TV
“Let us go to an ordinary street to feel that life is beautiful with all the ordinary things, with cats around, with children playing, with laundries hanged out, with people wandering aimlessly!” Mehmet Murat ildan, Turkish writer When I'm writing fiction, I purposely include scenes in which the characters are doing laundry or cleaning the… Continue reading When life’s not like TV
Swimming with cats
"I wanted to lie in a French crib and start from scratch, learning the language from the ground floor up. I wanted to be a baby, but instead, I was an adult who talked like one, a spooky man-child demanding more than his fair share of attention. " David Sedaris, American humorist Having teen daughters means… Continue reading Swimming with cats
Better than kryptonite
"Somebody actually complimented me on my driving today. They left a note on the window that said, 'parking fine.' That was nice." bumper sticker wisdom It's kind of like being Moses at the edge of the Red Sea. Or, like carrying a load of kryptonite in the trunk -- with all the other drivers somehow… Continue reading Better than kryptonite
