Richard and Tom lingered long over breakfast in the hotel dining room, talking about politics – state by state. Sara and Jane showed up because they were out shopping for dinner. We stayed so long, just enjoying each other’s company, that the manager had to ask us to leave so that the staff could clean … read more Family dinner
Month: October 2016
A birthday like no other
It’s getting so late. They were driving from Dulles and they should have been here by 7 p.m. Tom and I hardly know what to do with ourselves while we wait. This meeting has been more than five months in the making: Tom’s biological father, Richard, and sister, Danielle. Richard’s cousin Susan in England, our initial … read more A birthday like no other
Big and beautiful
The land came to us in waves of mountains, crests of forests, embracing us as we moved across it. I drove and drove and drove. More than eight hours of driving, through North Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and finally Virginia, to the place where Tom’s birth parents met. Although we were on interstate freeways, the … read more Big and beautiful
Preparations
I’m getting ready for Tom’s birthday. There are so many errands – lots of food to buy, collect the latest firing from the kiln, get the car detailed and the oil changed. We are taking a special road trip for his birthday. One that we couldn’t have imagined a year ago. We’re going to meet … read more Preparations
Wall hangings
I was fussing about the Baloch tapestries. They had been hanging on the wall at Azalea, and the debris from the tree crashing into the house had gotten into them. They were sent to the cleaners with the other textiles. Some items were deemed “non-restorable” because they couldn’t be cleaned. The cleaners sent me a … read more Wall hangings
Lemon joy
This butterfly is not rare in Georgia, but I don’t remember ever seeing it before. Seems odd, given that its color is such a bright lemon yellow. This summer was the first time I’d noticed it flitting around. I never got a good look at it because I was always rushing somewhere. Today Tom and I finally … read more Lemon joy
Closer down
I stopped by Azalea today, because the decks have been demolished and I wanted to see how that looked. As I turned the corner onto our street, the first thing I saw was that the driveway was consumed by a big yellow dumpster. It’s an odd feeling to see a dumpster in front of your … read more Closer down
That high-pitched noise
The noise started when the heat came on last night. A high-pitched tone that could only be from something mechanical. The kind of noise that makes me crazy. The heat didn’t come on. The registers were blowing cool air. I waited for the air to get warmer. It didn’t. I turned the thermostat’s heat switch … read more That high-pitched noise
At the edge of the pool
There were adults in that swimming pool. Couldn’t they tell the difference between the shrieks of kids playing and the shriek of abject terror from a small girl being chased by a teenage boy? Why did they ignore my cries for help? And some part of me knew that if they didn’t respond while it was … read more At the edge of the pool
Copying a master
Art students are always told to study the masters, and to copy them. Coming from a journalism background, I was at first taken aback by this approach – it seemed at worst a kind of plagiarism, and at best an exercise that would stifle originality. But once I tried it a few times, I realized that it … read more Copying a master