Like most people, I have several clocks in my house. One may tell me it's 11:30 a.m., another may say 11:35. This drives my husband crazy. I kind of like it, the notion that the measurement of time is only as accurate as the device. Some clocks like to run fast, others slow. Just read Alan … [Read more...] about Measuring Time
The Sound of One Tree
October 31, 2011. I’m sitting in my living room, two sweatshirts over a long-sleeve shirt and a tank top. The only sounds I hear are a buzz saw and a neighbor’s generator. This is a Halloween trick, no treat at all. The first snowstorm on record in October hit two days ago. At its … [Read more...] about The Sound of One Tree
Autumn-deprived
9:15 p.m., an early October night. I go outside, lured by the tree frogs and crickets, the same as I do in the height of summer – just to listen. The air is cool, more summer than autumn/less autumn than winter. There's a ring of light around the moon, a lunar halo. The sound, bells strung together … [Read more...] about Autumn-deprived
The way it was / the way it is
A family affair. A wedding on a gorgeous (almost) autumn day, Duchess County, New York. A distant cousin walks up to me. "You know who I am -- right?" She says her name at the very moment I recall it. "You look the same as you always did," she tells me. I smile at the compliment. The truth be … [Read more...] about The way it was / the way it is
Without Power
Saturday, September 3, 2011: The air is filled with anticipation. Irene is on her way. A friend who lives in lower Manhattan takes heed: an 8:48 a.m. train will deliver him, with his son, to the exurban community I live in, about an hour north of the city. If Irene is as fierce as … [Read more...] about Without Power
The Big Screen
The last time my husband and I bought a new TV was 1995. Thirty-six-inch Sony, pre- flat-screen/high-definition days. We had just moved into a new house and the size was predicated on the room, coupled with the design aesthetic of my husband (a designer by trade). I have a very strong memory of the … [Read more...] about The Big Screen
