Dec. 31, 1996-Jan. 1, 1997 In Timbuktu, the world is sand. The streets are sand, the houses are sand, the hills beyond are sand. Timbuktu is ancient; it rose from the sand, the sand has taken the place of time. In the twilight, Timbuktu seems as though it could sink again into sand. I walk in … read more New Year’s Eve in Timbuktu
Month: December 2016
In the warehouse
I can’t shake the strangeness I feel – in the warehouse, at dinner, driving home, recuperating from it all. We spent the day in Cartersville, which is only about 40 miles, but it felt as though we went on an exotic journey. The town itself is like a set in a Wild West movie. Pawn … read more In the warehouse
Pictures on the mantel
They aren’t expensive frames. Plain black wood, the kind you have to sort through in the display racks at the drugstore, and check carefully to find a couple that aren’t scratched or dinged. After I’d put the two 8 by 10 prints in the frames, and set them on the mantel, I sat and looked at them … read more Pictures on the mantel
Hover craft
I’ve always walked fast. I was the youngest and shortest of four girls, and ever since I learned to walk, I had to walk fast to keep up in my family of giants. When Tom began to walk again after the stroke, it was slow. One step at a time. He had to think about … read more Hover craft
Island of lost toys
The stop sign was flattened. Pole twisted down to the road, red octagon turned vaguely upward, half in the road, as though drunk and disoriented. It was one of those jumbo stop signs – the size that they put at major intersections where two fast roads meet. I stopped to grab a photo because it … read more Island of lost toys
Stephen and me
Stephen King says, Don’t put your desk in the middle of the room. I read his advice about a week after I’d decided to re-arrange my office and put the desk in the middle of the room. Stephen King also says, The one thing your writing space must have is a door that you are … read more Stephen and me
The 12 gifts of Christmas
Tom and I don’t usually buy each other presents for Christmas. But today I got at least a dozen gifts. Wahoo! What a haul! The first gift came at 7 a.m. when I woke up and got out of bed. I didn’t die 13 months ago, but even better, my brain is working again. That’s a gift … read more The 12 gifts of Christmas
An act of faith
I believe in the Light. I believe the Light pulses in every living thing, in every part of the world, in every corner of the universe. I believe that all we see and know comes from the power of the Light. I believe that every life’s purpose is to manifest the Light, in all its colors. I believe that … read more An act of faith
Magic mushroom
I’ve been struggling to even out my sleep schedule. Last night I suddenly knew what I needed: a cup of reishi mushroom tea. Reishi grows in the forest, and abundantly on dying hemlocks. I photographed the one above in the Chattahoochee National Forest. It’s a large, hard mushroom, with colored bands and a red waxy cap. … read more Magic mushroom
The invisible tree
Of all the Christmas trees I’ve decorated, I only remember one. The most beautiful one. I was single, and working at my first newspaper job. I lived alone in a darling apartment, the upper floor of a former carriage house behind a very grand house on Mahoning Avenue. Depression hovered. I was learning to take care … read more The invisible tree