Someone left the lid off the sandbox again. The Artful Dodger has at least two younger sisters, but he might have ten for all I know because they never stand still enough to be counted. They all cut through between my house and the haunted one to get to the school bus stop in the mornings, and I don’t mind. They love the garden and are convinced I’m some kind of farmer, and I’m glad to foster their interest... Read more
We’ve got two weeks left. As I write this it’s Monday night. As you read it, it will probably be Tuesday, two weeks before Election Day. Election day is your last possible day to vote; the actual voting is going on in many states across the country right now. My tiny Jefferson County, Ohio, has said they’ve had record turnout already. Nobody knows if that’s a good or a bad sign. Yes, this is my weekly rundown of all the... Read more
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark: James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. ... Read more
I went to the Wildflower Reserve, to see how the world was going to sleep. I can’t even begin to tell you how I’ve longed for a hike this whole miserable summer, and now the summer is over. The garden that took up so much of my attention is nearly all dead for the year. The sickness that lingered for eight weeks is behind me. Serendipity, that horrible black flood car that died a terrible death in June,... Read more
I wanted to see the comet. I heard about the once-in-a-lifetime appearance of Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS just after it appeared: there was a photo posted on Facebook, of the comet lined up beautifully with the lake I missed swimming in for so many months this summer, while trying to replace our ruined car. It felt like a cruel joke that I’d missed the comet as well. I have always wanted to see things. It’s never enough just to... Read more
The cold chill of Autumn blew in just as my thirties ended. On Friday, my fortieth birthday, we went downtown with Jimmy the mechanic, to see his friend the car dealer. But again, just as both other times, the car dealer wasn’t there. The assistant took us out to the lot to look around, and we saw that the ugly blue car I’d named “Sacre Bleu” in August. Jimmy looked it over again, giving it a clean bill of... Read more
It’s time for another politics update! In case you’re just joining me, I’ve been trying to write a lighthearted and snarky article about once a week, where I go over all the big stories about the federal election one by one. I cover the pro-life movement and Ohio state politics separately so I don’t lose my mind. This article is going to be a little less snarky than usual, because things are getting terrifying. Please keep referring back to... Read more
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark: As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not... Read more
On the last day of my thirties, I woke early. I got into respectable clothes instead of my horrible gardening gear, and covered my PCOS thinning hair with a hat. I practiced not stimming or talking to myself as I preened and tried to look respectable. Then Jimmy came over in his mechanic’s coveralls, to take Michael and me car shopping. He meant to drive the ill-fated Serendipity around to his place and park her behind the garage until we... Read more
There was a shirt lodged in the chimney. It wasn’t one of our shirts. It was a t-shirt, not Michael’s size, and it had obviously been used as a bird’s nest. We turned on the heat for the first time and found that the furnace kept shutting off for no apparent reason. The landlord called out his trusty handyman, a talkative Appalachian fellow missing a few teeth. He found the shirt, and dug it out, and sat on our... Read more
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