I have trouble getting anything done when there is visible clutter. This morning, the house was overrun with scattered toys, cuttings from various papers, books, and game pieces. So I spent twenty minutes getting everything back to its container and shelf. Unfortunately, there are always items that defy classification, don't really have a place: kid's meal … Continue reading The Basket of Curiosities
Category: Home
Kids at poetry readings
Last night, I took an enormous leap of faith and took my first grader to her first poetry reading. This particular reading - part of the Iota Reading Series curated by Miles David Moore and hosted by Iota Club & Cafe in Arlington, Virginia - seemed a good fit. I promised her a brownie sundae, … Continue reading Kids at poetry readings
A season of waiting
This winter, most of my quests for excitement have collided with a paralyzed will, or body. Yesterday, my mom offered to babysit the girls so Jeff and I could enjoy a kid-free outing. Jeff now has the cold I had a week ago (and older daughter ('OD') had a week before that), so we decided … Continue reading A season of waiting
Renew, Reuse, Recycle…
We live in a fairly eco-conscious area, so when my older daughter (OD) started kindergarten, she began talking about the importance of "renew, reuse, recycle." We have a great recycling program in our city, so very little goes to waste; our recycling container is usually twice as full as our trash container. I realize now … Continue reading Renew, Reuse, Recycle…
Wallace Stevens’ Winter
With winter only a few weeks away, I started thinking of modern poet Wallace Stevens after reading Benjamin Glass's excellent commentary on the 32 Poems blog. Here's an excerpt: Perhaps I read Stevens this time of year because his poems reflect the only type of Christmas atmosphere I can endure: mostly solemn, mostly isolated, and … Continue reading Wallace Stevens’ Winter
Preempting the Holiday Blues, Part II: Simplicity
Yesterday Jeff and I went to see the new movie version of "Anna Karenina." Although I might have preferred a more traditional take on the novel (the movie kept pushing the concept of "life is a stage," which I feel has been done to death), the cinematography was sumptuous and the costumes luxe with pearls, … Continue reading Preempting the Holiday Blues, Part II: Simplicity
Preempting The Holiday Blues
Yesterday as we left my mother's house, where we spent the afternoon enjoying lunch and decorating her Christmas tree (yup, we don't waste any time...), my six-year-old daughter commented with great melancholy, "The holidays go by so fast." It was funny, but also sad that she felt that way while we were still enjoying Thanksgiving … Continue reading Preempting The Holiday Blues
Giving thanks…with E.E. Cummings
I am fortunate that in everything I do, there are people behind me offering a hand. When I was cranky and sick this weekend, Jeff took the girls out so I could curl up in a blanket and cough in peace. When I painted the living room, kitchen and dining room in the past few … Continue reading Giving thanks…with E.E. Cummings
“Storm of the century” redux (didn’t we just do this?)
After a derecho this summer and another major storm just a month ago, we're again preparing for what's been dubbed "Frankenstorm," a wide swath of rain and snow that's likely to paralyze the East Coast for days. We're charging our electronics, making tons of ice to keep refrigerator food cold, moving items in the basement … Continue reading “Storm of the century” redux (didn’t we just do this?)
“The way things work:” reconstruction and Jorie Graham
I'm having some sort of mid-life crisis when it comes to my house. Suddenly I want to change everything: rip shelves out, move the furniture, paint every room a different color. Last night I spent hours perusing paint web sites, trying hundreds of colors on the online walls. And today I bought paint samples, despite … Continue reading “The way things work:” reconstruction and Jorie Graham
Between Gods 