Some days, like today, seems there’s nothing but noise in my head. Just stray bits of fuzz, flies buzzing, engines idling. A very big crowd of people in a stadium all talking at once, not really paying attention to the game that they’re there to watch. At work, I was trying to troubleshoot technical problems long distance, … read more Quieting down
Month: June 2016
100 grand
My girl Charlotte turned 100 today. I’ve been watching the odometer and I kept thinking of the lyrics from that John Denver song, “On the Road”: Back in 1958 we drove an old V8 and when it’d gone a hundred thou’ we got out and pushed it a mile If I could have, I’d have … read more 100 grand
A thousand fears
Saturday’s supposed to be the easy, fun day. The one where you just relax and do whatever you feel like. I spent most of the day nearly paralyzed with anxiety. Every thought leads to a fear. In the shower, I move very slowly, afraid of falling. I watch Tom warily, because I’m afraid he will up … read more A thousand fears
MimOHsa!
I had a bunch of mimosas while driving today. Not the kind with champagne. I mean those trees with the pretty pink fringed puffballs that serve as blossoms. June is the time when you see them everywhere in Georgia. Not just in front of homes, but in vacant lots, anywhere that’s been left alone. This tree … read more MimOHsa!
Isn’t she lovely?
This pretty orb weaver has a body less than half an inch long. She’s built a nice web on my deck in a perfect location – where I won’t walk into it, but she’s catching plenty of insects to eat. We’re both happy. She has been a touch of beauty in an otherwise terrible week … read more Isn’t she lovely?
Passion for a flower
I’ll never forget the first time I saw one. I had just moved to North Georgia and was taking a walk when this wild-ass flower caught my eye. I thought it was plastic at first. It had frilly fringes, purple petals with pink and white stripes, and a big yellow cruciform jumping out of the middle like … read more Passion for a flower
The old sourwood
I heard the BOOM and went upstairs, but I didn’t hurry. I knew what it was. A tree that falls on a road or hard ground makes a particular kind of BOOM. Once you hear it, your memory hangs onto it. There was a sourwood at my house that was leaning over the road. It had a … read more The old sourwood
Making room
I woke up to this post from my friend Lee Howard that smacked me in the face: You’ve all been so amazing and compassionate with the massacres at Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook, Paris, and Belgium and places far afield. … Guess what, it’s generally crickets chirping when it comes to a gay massacre in this country. … read more Making room
Sounds like a dragonfly
Clouds of small insects floated above our heads. They didn’t try to bite us. Tom and I were kayaking on the lake. We stopped, floated, and watched them. They were too small and fast to identify – they were smaller than mosquitoes, a little bigger than gnats: As we talked to each other about how beautiful … read more Sounds like a dragonfly
70 years of marriage
June 11, 1946, was a Tuesday. There were so many weddings that year, with all the GIs returning from the war – churches were booked solid. So Peg and Walt got married on a Tuesday morning at her local church, St. Joseph’s in Monroeville, Ohio. I wonder how many people took off from work to come … read more 70 years of marriage