Literary Chitchat
A strange picture of my backyard through a spider’s web. I couldn’t get the camera to focus properly, so special kudos to anyone who can actually see the spider. But the raindrops on the beautiful web are a treat to see. I’ve been thinking about spiders recently. Thinking about Charlotte, of course, the most…
Read MoreThe Joys of Electoral Politics
I’m back on track with current events, after taking a few days off to mourn Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the end of the American democracy as we know it. But…perhaps there is a light at the end of the tunnel after all…I’ve been text banking for 2020Victory. A very organized process, supported by easy to…
Read MoreWhere to Begin
When Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, I went on a news fast. I’ve done it before, from time to time, for two reasons. First, the current news keeps me up at night and poisons the good parts of my waking life. And secondly, it teaches me nothing new. I already know the terrible bits of our…
Read MoreIt’s All About Voting
Hi friends! I don’t like asking people for things, and I definitely don’t like asking people to give up their hard-earned money, but sitting within our comfort zones isn’t going to get us anywhere. And we HAVE TO MOVE right now. Actions: We’ve been sending postcards to notify people who were purged from voter rolls…
Read MoreWhen You’re Ready
When you are ready (and the world is ready) to travel again, here’s an open invitation to visit my home town. Seattle! I’m an actual native, and that is vanishingly rare these days since my fair city has grown many fold since my humble birth here. Wildsam, https://wildsam.com/seattle-field-guide, a cool publishing company is putting out…
Read MoreProtest: Still on Trial
It’s been a bittersweet time for those of us who were active in the civil rights movement (that’s what we called it then–today it’s the anti-racist movement; a much clearer descriptor of the struggle and the goal) and the antiwar movement in the 1960s. On the one hand, it’s terrible that in spite of…
Read MorePieces of New
Below is a draft of the beginning of a book I’m working on. What’s it about? That’s part of the problem–it’s about too much: traveling, COVID-19, getting old, seeing too many contradictions between happy travels and refugee travels, between our green living world and the firestorms of the future. But here’s the start. Tell me…
Read MoreOne COVID-19 (True) Story
July 17, 2020 The port-a-potty stands directly outside our living room window, on the parking strip of our across-the-street neighbors. They are having their house painted, so the port-a-potty is for the house painters, who happen not to be working today. Crossing my living room intent on one errand or another, I look out the…
Read MoreWhat to do now
Here are some photos of flyers that I saw this morning on poles around our neighborhood–there was one other that didn’t photograph well, but was a great listing of black-owned businesses to support. We do what we can and these are ideas for thing to do if you don’t want to mix…
Read MoreAnimals happy about humans staying home
Since people aren’t speeding their cars bumper to bumper on our streets, I’ve seen a much better use of the word bumper: we have a bumper crop of bunny rabbits and squirrels in our Seattle neighborhood. And songbirds! The mornings are a symphony. On a walk a couple days ago, in the afternoon, we saw…
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