Category: What’s Called Home

In which I discuss places around this place we call home, in various stages of undress.

The Beginning of Gone

Larry was diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease, He’s at the beginning of the journey toward the end. Yeah, I mean, they’ve given him the magical pill, but there aren’t any guarantees. Well, just that one guarantee. Larry’s been making art that evolves from nature for a long time. He’s put the essentially impermanent into…

AROS 6

Montrous Snow peaks, huddled at Road edges, yard edges Crowd the winter in. Barely room for me to slither by In my repressed Town & Country. I remember you, snow, as Individual, unique Flakes, and I feel The same lonely.

The Swimming Lesson

Our town has a big indoor pool, circa 1943, that offers the world’s cheapest swimming lessons, for all ages. This is most excellent for us since we have 152 kids living at our house (Note: for those “interested parties,” who print out my blog for so-called legal reasons, please read the definition of hyperbole, as…

To Be a Storyteller

The #reverb10 final prompt from Molly O’Neill asked “What is your core story?” Being a huge fan of The Moth, and Eddie Izzard, and loving to hear people rattle off stories about their hilarious trip here and there —  and being a writer naturally — I am perplexed and in awe of storytellers. I can…

#reverb10, Day 29: Tearing Down Walls

A combination of the day 29 prompt (Defining Moment: Describe a defining moment or series of events that has affected your life this year) and my decision to finally read “Eat. Pray. Love” made me realize what my defining moment of the year was. My old friend, JD, came out to visit and to work…

#reverb10 Day 27: The Ordinary Joy of Friends

On Day 27 of #reverb10, Brene Brown asked: What was one of your most joyful ordinary moments this year? My moment was an accumulation of split-second realizations: each about the same and exquisitely lovely. They were those moments when you are looking into the eyes of someone and you suddenly see the glimmer of returned…

Inside the Wall, Inside the Funhouse

#reverb10 Day 7 Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Thanks, Cali Harris). You know what is funny? The Muppets covering Queen. You know what else is funny? Crossword puzzles. Here’s something else: transvestite tips…

No One is Looking: On Letting Go

So I continue to take part in #Reverb10, a 31-day write-in. Here’s today’s post. Day 5 Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Thanks, Alice.) This year, I let go of Kevin. Kevin is the name of the man I really and truly fell in love with in…

Finding Wonder in the Small

#Reverb10, Day 4 Prompt: Wonder. How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (by author Jeff Davis @JeffreyDavis108) Wonder isn’t an experience: it is a spiritual geographical location, a destination I can choose to visit, or live in. It is exactly a “sense” — just like smell or sight. I…

Where Wisconsin Is…

…And Other  Existential Observations on Home My colleague (we both teach at university) said, quite innocently: “I guess I don’t think of Wisconsin as the Midwest.” This while I was rapping a heavy mix of Madison virtues and Midwest easiness. “Oh,” she said when I called up the map. “I guess I thought it was…

Laundry, and Love

I get to feel superior to socks when I am conquering a load of laundry. That is sort of cool, isn’t it? There’s a swathe of the backyard that is leaf-free. Just one corner. (Well it was yesterday). I did that. I own that. Housework is menial work. Which is to say “humble” or “lowly”…

Where the Wild Onion Grows

Wild onions grow everywhere here. I smell them through the moon roof on those particular weekend days when men are at home in their kingdom yards, busy mowing alone and in harmony. If I made this up, forgive me, but I think maybe someone told me that a long time ago this entire area was…

On Seeming Effortless

Cinnamon rolls have to be one of my favorite foods. Over at Pioneer Woman this morning I was drooling at her recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls. The recipe even starts from the yeast, and not from a blue can you tear paper off of and bang on the counter’s edge. Man, I like…

I’m Smarter Than You…

Or, At Least That’s What You Think My oldest sister, Kathy, felt the crush of competitiveness in our family the most. And why shouldn’t she? After all, she was succeeded, one after another, by 5 cute little bundles that usurped her crown. And meanwhile, more and more responsibilities were dumped on her little shoulders Coming…

On Loving Things

Thanks Tara! It’s Another We Scout Wednesday great topic. I have talked often here about how we should all de-stuff ourselves. Get rid of everything and just stop the consumption train. It’s no secret how I feel about that. I am the anti-packrat. At my house, if you leave your sh*t on the counter too…