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A couple of weeks ago, a wood thrush banged into one of our windows. Other birds have done the same and recovered, like last summer’s Scarlet Tanager and more recently, this yellow-bellied sapsucker. Keith and I had not seen wood thrushes here at Vanaprastha,...
The Moment of Lift
One day, spring semester 1981 in my American Humanities class at Ursuline Academy of Dallas, we viewed a slide of Mary Cassatt’s Mother and Child. As a young and somewhat pretentious teacher, I pronounced Cassatt’s last name in French—apologies to my students....
Stubbornness
“Freya, come,” I called out the kitchen door. Though Heathcliff came and waited inside the door, she trotted in the opposite direction. Apparently, she wanted to run and bark a little longer before breakfast. “Heathcliff, sit,” I said, holding his food bowl above...
April Showers Can Be Taxing
Though April showers may come your way They bring the flowers that bloom in May Did I see lightning first last night or hear thunder? No matter. I knew the click-click of dog toe tails on the wood floor was Freya, leaving our bedroom, because...
Old and New Invaders
Last week’s warm temperatures and gentle rain brought a burst of spring to Vanaprastha, and with it the invasion of weeds. The usual culprits at our elevation are dandelion, chickweed, ground ivy, and broadleaf plantain. At first, the weeds look attractive to...
On Frogs and Princesses
At lunch with our mother last week, my sisters and I got to talking about our teenaged years and dating. My older sister and I confessed to breaking curfew—once for her, three times in a row for me then grounding—and my younger sister recounted her morning-after...