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

What the drought hath wrought

The first summer after I transplanted a black cohosh to the hillside above the cabin, I was so worried about its need for shade that I suspended a baby blanket over it with bungee cords. Then halfway through the summer I realized that I was also keeping some of the rain from reaching the plant, … read more What the drought hath wrought

The 11th day of the rice and sugar cult

Every day I go to a tree, any tree. Around the base, I scatter a mix of sugar and rice.  There is no incantation, no prayer, no special method of scattering the rice and sugar.  I have done this for 11 days in a row. The ritual is to break my chain of bad luck.  … read more The 11th day of the rice and sugar cult

Just another morning

[Thursday Aug. 11]   Today, Dad would have been 96 years old. I begged him to help me get through the day. It’s been a week since the tree fell on our house, and six days since Tom got out of rehab. The days are too long, and not long enough. I usually wake up at … read more Just another morning

The oak, falling – Part 2

I could hear the chainsaws across the valley a little after 8 a.m., and I knew it was at my house. I sat on Sara’s deck, looking out into the obliterating mist, and cried. She came out and sat with me. We talked and drank coffee. Finally, I got dressed and drove to my house, where a 10-ton oak … read more The oak, falling – Part 2

The red buckeyes: In the forest

October 20, 2013 I had finally figured out that the red buckeyes would never flourish in our dry, clay patch yard at home. So I carefully dug up the first one and put it into a pot to take to Booger Hollow. Its root had a funny kink, presumably from where I’d broken it as a seedling. I … read more The red buckeyes: In the forest