I am at the confluence today. With my left hand, I reach back and touch yesterday, the always-blue sky, bright sun, florid breeze of my son's birthday--his 10th on this earth. I fluff his hair, thick and unkempt, trace his still-boy jawline and poke my finger into his dimple, one more beauty mark. I remember … Continue reading Confluence
Tag: father
Inheritance
Something happened tonight that I was totally unprepared for. Before I describe it, I'll back up and say that lately, Josephine has been asking a lot of questions about death. In particular, she wants to know, "Did my grandpa die?" My answer is always the truth: Yes, sweetie. He died. Each time the question comes, … Continue reading Inheritance
Reliquary
I've just added a new page to this blog: a place to keep the "things" of my dad's life. The stuff he liked (or didn't), or the things I most associated with him. This serves a functional purpose for my writing; it helps me remember him more clearly. But I also like the project of … Continue reading Reliquary
Rice & Eggs
Rainy Sunday morning, the first weekend of spring break, and wow, is it welcome. The rain and the break, I mean. Rain because it means the temperature is finally climbing back up, and break because it has been an incredibly stressful semester so far. We found out in early February that budget crises across the … Continue reading Rice & Eggs
Valentine: A Rant in Ten & 1/2 Parts
1. You're going to think I have a cold, dark heart. I was about to tell you about how silly I think Valentine's Day is for a variety of reasons, when Josephine walked over and handed me a heart-shaped Rice Crispie Treat saying, "I made this just for you, Mama, because I love you." And … Continue reading Valentine: A Rant in Ten & 1/2 Parts
Outsourcing Memory
In the last week or so, my mom has reconnected with several of her (and my father's) old friends on Facebook. I remember these two families well from my childhood in Kentucky. We lived in a neighborhood--a treeless new development of modest homes that belonged to transient families who had come to Lexington for jobs … Continue reading Outsourcing Memory
Best American Essays!
Wow. I just learned that my essay--the one which shares its title with this very blog--has been nominated by Literary Mama for Best American Essays! I'm really kind of speechless. Thrilled and speechless. I hear you already, universe. I'm listening hard. And I'm writing.
Brown Food
I've been trying to cook through the last of the CSA bounty and tonight there was still the matter of one sad, slightly browning head of cabbage in the crisper drawer. I really like cabbage, but the common green kind--the kind you think of when making corned beef and cabbage or sauerkraut--is not my favorite. … Continue reading Brown Food
Sheila squillante 