I woke up to the smell of lilacs. It was so hot yesterday that we had to put the noisy window air conditioners in downstairs, but we didn’t bother with the upstairs. We just opened the windows. By evening, it was cool. I left the big picture window facing the street wide open, and slept in the breeze. It felt like sleeping in a treehouse. I am still not used to sleeping through the night. For seven years, the... Read more
A homeless gentleman was shot to death near Holly the Witch’s house, in Columbus. It wasn’t one of the people Holly knows, but that’s the first place my mind went when I heard. As far as I can tell from the reporting, Kevin Smith had taken shelter in a detached garage. Entering someone’s garage without permission is trespassing. Trespassing, in Ohio, is a misdemeanor. You could go to jail for 30 days and pay a $250 fine if you’re... Read more
The first thing I did was check on the compost. We’re making compost again this year. I like composting almost better than gardening. Composting is a puzzle that, when done just right, doesn’t attract flies or leave a smell. It’s just a mound of beautiful brown loam tucked into that odd corner of the house between the porch and the wall. Turn it over and it’s warm inside, warm as a bath. With our stalking neighbor’s increasing derangement I wasn’t... Read more
After a week of anticipation, we now know the culprit behind the massive leak of classified documents to a Discord server. He is Jack Teixeira, and he’s being described as a “patriot” and a “Catholic.” And nobody’s surprised. In case you’ve just joined us, it recently hit the news that a large number of classified documents, many to do with Russia’s war on Ukraine, had been posted on a discord server for gamers and were spreading all over... Read more
It’s been one of those times when nothing goes horribly wrong, but nothing goes just right either. Last night, after searching online, I found the part that Serendipity needs so I can drive again– an engine wiring harness, an ugly thing that looks like an electronic octopus. Jimmy was going to buy one and have us pay him back, but he ended up not having the money when he thought. The one in Serendipity is dry rotted so all the... Read more
I was reading an article about a Florida proposal to install anonymous baby drop boxes in fire stations. The drop box is essentially a slot on the outside wall of the building with no camera watching so that mothers in desperation can surrender their babies: “instead of dumping them in trash cans or along roadsides,” as the author, Terry Spencer, puts it. It’s a modern version of the foundling wheel. It is already legal in Florida to surrender your baby... Read more
The morning dawned vibrant, perfectly bright. The sky was bluer than blue and the grass was greener than green– just as it should be in Bright Week. We had a houseful of rich food from my cooking way too much for Easter dinner. We were all reasonably healthy except that I had caught a slight cold at the Easter vigil. We still had the car I’d borrowed for Holy Week– not roadworthy on the freeway, but still able to putter... Read more
There’s a lot of news I want to talk about today. Much of it involves the pro-life movement. None of it is good news. I’m reading the story in the Washington Post, about two women who lost babies they desperately wanted due to premature rupture of membranes. They may have also lost what was left of their fertility, and they’re lucky to not have lost their lives, because the Florida hospitals refused to treat them in timely fashion. The... Read more
We were late to the Easter Vigil. Adrienne had informed me in the midafternoon that she didn’t have a button-down blouse that fit anymore, and after we got home from buying one she informed me that she hadn’t showered yet, which meat Michael’s and my showers got shuffled, and then Adrienne couldn’t find socks. Next thing I knew we were piling into the borrowed jalopy we’re driving for a few days until Serendipity is fixed at the same time... Read more
I went to Mass again last night. I wish I’d gone for some noble reason, but truthfully, I only dragged myself into church because I love beautiful music, and the songs of the Holy Thursday liturgy are my favorite in the whole liturgical calendar. That was the carrot that got me there. I’ve been so terrified of Mass. I hate going to Mass. Going to Mass makes me think of every terrible thing that’s happened to me in the... Read more
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