The spires are a distinctive part of the New England landscape, whether nestled in the mountains or close to the shoreline, like this one, where they also serve as landmarks for mariners.
Steeple repair time carries a steep price
Now for some guy things
Here are some qualities I most like in a man.
- Stability.
- Responsibility.
- Spirituality.
- Gentle humor.
- Kindness.
- Fairness. As in justice, too.
- Firmness.
- Generosity.
- Respectfulness.
- Courtesy. Tact.
~*~
How ’bout you?
In all due honor
It’s a fair question in my novel What’s Left.
Just what do we owe to our ancestors?
Kinisi 57
anxious for the Canadian border to reopen
a killing mystery involving a moose
there’s always a hole
at the core of a mystery
Startling the vacuum cleaner
Infidelity
I promised to leave the door open
no matter what
vainly hoping a pearl would appear
in the rusting lock
as if she would ever again wear it
~*~
yes, I left it open
but don’t live there anymore
Hail, Xenia
assuming you’ll never see frail fragrant blossoms pendulous as an archway in the museum I parachute from our embrace so wide open I’ll drift a mile in the bobbing fullness of an eggshell antiquity . clearly, our love of your plump dreams would feast, yes, pray, at last lifting these arms together . maybe nothing more than the snap of the cord could be lovelier
Some things to reflect on as we’re coming out of Covid restrictions
- We learned to Zoom. As much as I missed face-to-face and the subtle interactions there, Zoom did spare us a lot of driving. Sometimes it was a treat not having to leave home.
- We saved a bucket of money, apart from takeout. Well, Amazon made out like a bandit, but local retail took a big hit.
- We used less cash, if any, while credit card use for small items exploded.
- Kids lost a year-and-a-half of the growing-up experience. School events like the homecoming, prom, and graduation, as well as classroom learning, team sports, summer camp. I really feel for them, and their teachers. Can we make it up to them now?
- For worship communities, shut-ins and folks at a distance could tune in and be part again. But we definitely missed singing together.
- It’s triggered a big population relocation and a real estate frenzy. So how do we feel about working from home rather than an office? Or the opportunity to live anywhere we want and dial in?
- Arts, artists, and arts organizations suffered most of all. They need our renewed support, bigtime.
- As our astute son-in-law quipped, it was a year without culture. He was talking about sporting events, but it really fit across the board. We couldn’t even really get together as a book club.
- Going about without those masks feels refreshing. Or even naked.
- What’s your reaction to going up to the checkout counter and noticing the plexiglass barrier isn’t there anymore?
And, oh yes, we learned to spell coronavirus and even pronounce it.
What’s high on your own list of takeaways?
What do you do with a spoiling potato?
A family obligation to pitch in
Maybe the family restaurant was oppressive? In my novel What’s Left, there’s no question the kids won’t be working shifts in Carmichael’s as they grow up. Do they ever want to rebel? Or does peer pressure and pride keep them in line?
As one of them said in an earlier draft:
So it was off to serve more Streetcars and slaw.
~*~
Well, they knew what was expected. And they knew how to pitch in and be effective.
What were you expected to do in your family? How did you help? Were you compensated in return? Should you have been?
Now, make all that present tense!
~*~
Jnana's Red Barn 