From the Back Porch

I’ve just come in from shoveling snow from the third consecutive winter storm this week. This, with the cartilage-free zones of my knees which are about to be guillotined from my legs and replaced with metal and plastic joints next month. more

They play a strange, relentless rhythm, and the more I try to ignore them, the more their hypnotic beat begins to make me crazed. I start to imagine things as I attempt to shut them out. more

In April, we got a flyer in the mail from a company called “Lawn Dawgs”, with a photo of a big fat dandelion in the grass. The flyer said, “The Dandelion is the Number One Nemesis of Lawn Owners.” I say, “Cow puckey!” On this beautiful August day, I was glad to find a single dandelion in my grass, so I bid it a friendly howdy do. more

I had always strongly identified with Jo as a child, and felt a deep reverence for the world Ms. Alcott created with her books about the March family... more

I saved my allowance money to buy him special gifts for Christmas. I got him cool things that I thought he would appreciate. Once it was a rubber chicken; another time it was plastic vomit. more

When I tried to catalogue what it was that I loved about him, I found that I couldn’t name it exactly, but I began to summon him in my heart from across the unnamed worlds of the universe. An uncanny mood emanated from the woods, and I noticed that the trees were the same color as Bogey. more

So, we are grieving. I am experiencing the grieving process as a hungry gnaw emanating from my cat heart gland. There is something innately comforting about cat presence. To paraphrase something Joni Mitchell once said, “cats are the heartbeat of the house”. more

While walking at twilight one evening, I heard a large congregation of birds in the trees beyond some railroad tracks. They were far away, high in the bare trees against the night sky. more

I’m awake and I enter the kitchen, which is lit by a small table lamp. My father is wearing a red plaid bathrobe, seated at the table with his legs crossed, the top leg bobbing up and down as it does, sticking out, white skinned and sparse-haired. He has a cup of coffee within reach, the newspaper is unfolded across his lap and part of the table, and one hand holds a bowl of cereal. more

What a lovely woman! The feeling of kindness and sincerity was palpable. We entered the house, which was beautifully arranged with art, plants, musical instruments and a wholesome feeling of care and calm. Tears came to my eyes almost immediately because I felt such a loving and accepting spiritual atmosphere. more