Day 96: To me, 1982.

Dear 23-year-old self, Who told you that you were “too tall,” anyhow? You are not taller than any of your future lovers will be. A tall woman with straight posture looks so elegant that men of all heights will jump to be with her. So stop slumping. Right now! It doesn’t make you shorter, it just makes you look … read more Day 96: To me, 1982.

Day 92: A life in three sentences

She married a crippled man who later disappeared. Of this union were born 7 children. They resided in Norwalk and little is known of them. This is all I know of Mary Tyler Meyers, one of my maternal great-grandfather’s nine siblings. Except for the bare dates of her birth and death, Mary Tyler Meyers exists … read more Day 92: A life in three sentences

Day 83: On the wind

Happy Birthday, Mom. You’d have been 92 today… but I think you don’t mind that you’re not here blowing out candles today. Because now you are an unfettered free spirit, after a lifetime in a conflicted body. For someone born in Monroeville, Ohio in 1923, you did pretty good. You loved music … it’s how you got through … read more Day 83: On the wind

Day 64: When I get older

For people of a certain age, the number 64 causes the Beatles song to immediately pop into our heads. When that song came out, 64 seemed like a truly ancient age. And now …. well, “When I’m 64” is less than eight years away from today, Day 64. Only 2,859 days. Not much more than a box of pennies. … read more Day 64: When I get older

Day 45: The blur of time

Time lapse photography is eerily like memory. Days get clipped into seconds, and all of it speeds by – making it hard to distinguish what the exact difference is as each image blends into the next. How is Day 43 different from Day 34? What happens when one day piles atop another? In my second round of … read more Day 45: The blur of time

Day 40: Wandering in the desert

Forty days. This will be my 40th blog post. Forty days: It evokes the image of wandering in the desert. My friend Sara, who is a photographer and artist, does wonderful montages with photos and figures. In one of them (partial version above), there is a man in a worker’s uniform with a push broom over his shoulder. He … read more Day 40: Wandering in the desert

Day 34: The last time I left home

I left Ohio many times, physically and mentally, before I left for good in 1984. But I always knew I would leave. Maybe it started when I was very little. I used to play along the banks of the creek that ran through our front yard, and built imaginary villages from twigs, leaves, moss, and … read more Day 34: The last time I left home