Last week Mom told me about a wealthy old lady of her childhood acquaintance, who had all the possessions she could possibly want but continued to desire one thing: I collect sweeping statements. They don’t take up any storage room. They don’t have to be dusted or polished. I can take them out to look at them any time I want and then put them back. She’d recently overheard one distinguished, elderly woman chastise another: […]
Read moreMonth: December 2007
Spider Wars
From a distance I thought the blob on the wall by the icebox was a spider. “Lulu! Come here QUICKLY!” Lulu strolled in several minutes later. Investigating what I was pointing at, she saw only opportunity. She rolled up a newspaper and let out a squeal as she swatted at the spot. Which of course was only a chip in the paint and not a spider at all. As if she hadn’t done enough damage […]
Read moreA Few of My Favorite Things
My poor mother. Little did she imagine when gave birth to me that she’d still be stuffing my Christmas stocking half a century later. In addition to the usual cotton balls and Band-Aids and Scotch tape, she always tucks in little surprises she’s found among her treasures. This year there was a rose-gold thimble belonging to a mid-1800s relativefootnote, and a small digital device onto which my no-longer-extant father recorded a message: Lulu gave me […]
Read moreAn Important Birthday
Merry Christmas! I often lose sight of the significance of this day, but this year I’d like to acknowledge the birthday of a most important person. Congratulations on turning 50, Shane McGowan. I’m so glad (and surprised) you’re still alive! It was Christmas Eve, babe, In the drunk tank… I was awoken at the crack of ten by the arrival of my unexpectedly punctual elder daughter. I was delighted and surprised to see that she’d […]
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