Mar 2009
6
Proof of our folly: passport and alien card. “We’re alike. I, too, believe that everyone should have a chance at a breathtaking piece of folly once in his life. I was twenty when they said a woman couldn’t swim the Channel. You’re twelve; you think a horse of yours can win the Grand National. Your [...]
Mar 2009
4
Threadless T-shirt design by Jeff Sapulettey. Today I woke to an automated phone call from the school informing me of a two-hour delayed start because of the snow. So the kids and I celebrated with pumpkin pancakes (which I’m crazy about), and now I’ve corralled them all upstairs for the next 30 minutes so I [...]
Mar 2009
2
“Red-tailed Hawk on Arm” courtesy of Jim Frazier. Pat stood in her yard and glared at the sky. Clutching her drink, she gestured at a small spot high in a tree more than a half-block away. The ice rattled in her glass and she took a long drag on her cigarette. The spot was a [...]
Feb 2009
27
“Conversation” courtesy of bensonkua. Most conversations with my kids are an exchange of words aimed at keeping the family unit humming along. I’m talking about communication currency, a little give and take, and the table gets set, the laundry gets folded, and everyone goes to the library. But sometimes, there’s a hiccup in the family [...]
Feb 2009
25
“Swim day” courtesy of smohundro. Usually, my exercise is a solitary walk with my sleeping toddler, but a few months ago I started swimming, and immediately felt out of my element. There’s a good mix of people who spend their lunch hour swimming laps at the university pool: The strong, young swimmers whose arms slice [...]
Feb 2009
23
“Through a world turned upside down” courtesy of sandcastlematt. I know of a modern-day knightwho every day gets up and fightsexhaust-spewing dragons,of mincemeat they’d make him,were it not for his quick steed, the bike. My husband’s round-trip commute: 9.5 miles. The time it took him to rescue me when I locked myself and the baby [...]
Feb 2009
20
A site for everything you never wanted to know about “The Black Stallion.” There are horse-girls who plait the hair of their My Little Ponys and trot about the playground. There are horse-women who shovel manure and tame Mustangs. I’m not one of them. The nearest I’ve ever come to understanding this infatuation was when [...]
Feb 2009
18
Sam! I like to wanderaround my brain and find things,he said, sleepily. A short catalog of things he was searching for at bedtime: Do you believe in magic? How do birds fly with such tiny bones? Do trees have brains? An inventory of his pockets: Small spiral notebook. Stub of a pencil, sharp. Padlock. Lego [...]
Feb 2009
16
Chocolate pancakes + whipped cream = A decadent breakfast. I hope your Valentine’s Day was just as sweet! Chocolate pancakesrecipe torn from the pages of an old Sunset magazine Makes 8 pancakes; 4 servings 1/4 cup sugar1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa2 teaspoons baking powder1/4 teaspoon salt1 cup all-purpose flour1 egg1 cup milkAbout 3 tablespoons oil1/2 teaspoon [...]
Feb 2009
13
Finch painting courtesy of merwing✿little dear. My fingers paused on the keyboard and my eyes darted to a flash of feathers. Just beyond the computer and on the other side of the window pane, were a half-dozen playful finches chattering and fluttering as the stole seed. These birds, small enough to cup in my hand, [...]
