My grandmother had a ticket for the Titanic. Continue reading
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Category Archives: Miscellany
Whiplash
My day began at 4 a.m., when I decided I was not going to get back to sleep. I took a book to another room and curled up with both it and a dog. I also opened up Facebook and found that one of my friends had been up and sharing at 2:30 a.m. — not a friend who is likely to have been ending a long day at that hour.
By 6 a.m., I was in multiple conversations, all with friends in my own time zone.
It’s Saturday. Why were we all awake?
Why am I having conversations with friends on Facebook at 6am on a Saturday? Are we all having trouble sleeping?
— Kim Kishbaugh (@kkish) 13 January 2018
Missing Mom
Today would have been my mother’s 96th birthday. I didn’t spend the whole day thinking about this, but it was in the back of my mind, surfacing periodically — at work, in traffic, as I walked through my garden.
Dead nearly 13 years, she’s always just barely off-stage, ready to walk on at the slightest queue. Opening day at Comiskey Park? I’ll call Mom to let her know if I’m going. Crocuses came up early? Mom would be thrilled. White butterfly just flew by? Maybe it was Mom. Continue reading
Winter into spring
I read an interesting essay a few days ago proposing a new word for plants that bloom far earlier than usual — far earlier than they should — as a result of climate change. The word: antevernals. I like it because it has roots that English speakers already know and use in other words: ante and vernal, both from Latin. Continue reading
From rural to urban; two wonders
To the woods again
I arrived home from work tonight with just barely enough time to get my dogs to the woods before nightfall, and once again we were rewarded with an up-close encounter with deer. It was darker this time than last, and I think we caught the white-tail end of the herd’s return to overnight quarters. We weren’t surprised this time — the humans, at any rate, definitely were not, and I think the dogs had the scent as soon as we left our car — but we were no less in wonder at our good fortune. Continue reading
Accomplishments on a small scale
I had tentative plans for a big day today. I canceled them.
It was 0° F once again when I awoke, and after facing the frigid outback that is Chicago for an actual night on the town last night I decided against driving two hours for a nature adventure.
After spending most of the morning at my computer, by noon I was thisclose to beating myself up for wasting away my day. Looking back now, at the start of evening, I realize that I’ve managed to accomplish quite a bit. Here’s what I did: Continue reading