-
Someone I knew years ago had a particular way of saying think. I’m not going to tell you what it was. I’ve been saving it for a T-shirt for about twenty-five years. The first time I heard the expression, I didn’t understand what it meant. I just liked the way it sounded. The words themselves…
-
My next-door neighbor rang the bell last night and asked if I had a shovel. Then we looked at each other. “It’s been quite a day,” she said. Actually, we agreed, it had been quite a week. We stood there for a few minutes comparing notes before I remembered something important. “But I digress. You…
-
It was raining when I came around the curve and found a car stopped in the road. Our street is narrow. One lane in each direction, with enough curves that getting around a postal vehicle, trash truck, or the tail end of a car sticking too far out of a driveway can become a small…
-
I almost had a collision at the grocery store yesterday. Almost. I was coming out of an aisle into the larger main aisle when I pulled up short. A couple was approaching with their cart, so I stopped to let them pass. The woman stopped too. “No, no. Come on out.” I thanked her and…
-
I think I liked the watch more than he ever did. That probably isn’t the way most keepsake stories begin, but it’s the truth. Years ago, I was looking for a gift for my husband when I found it online. It wasn’t extravagant or rare. It was simply… different. Rectangular instead of round. Something about…
-
For years, there was a small barrel-shaped bag in the bottom of my closet. It wasn’t particularly beautiful. In fact, it was quite horrifically ugly. It certainly wasn’t valuable. It was simply where a few things that mattered quietly lived. Inside was my Nana’s beaded flapper purse. And a crucifix. I learned much later that…
-
I could not see the train from my bedroom. I didn’t need to. About a mile and a quarter from our house, the railroad crossed the end of our road. During the day, the flashing lights stopped traffic while freight trains lumbered through town. Every now and then, a passenger train would appear, racing past…
-
I do not sit in my Nana’s rocking chair. This is strange because it is probably the sturdiest chair in the house. The original cushion is gone now, replaced long ago by another. One small nail occasionally reminds the unwary that time has passed. A blanket rests across the seat, less for decoration than protection.…
-
My mug had developed veins. At least that’s what I called them. Thin, branching lines appeared inside the cup over time, spreading beneath the glaze like tiny rivers on a map. At first, they were barely noticeable. Later, they collected traces of tea, becoming darker and easier to see. I loved that mug. It arrived…
-
I cannot remember a time before the green bowl. It is small, made of plastic, and entirely unremarkable to anyone who didn’t grow up with it. Total kitsch. I remember eating applesauce from it when I was a child. I remember seeing it in kitchen cabinets and on countertops. I remember it moving from one…