Revisionist Fantasy
“This is not a true story,” playwright Emma Whipday wrote in the program notes. “The Judith Shakespeare you’re about to see did not exist. Shakespeare did have a sister, called Joan; she married a hatter, and lived out her life in Stratford-upon-Avon. To our...
The Things I Carried
This past weekend, I made an overnight trip to New York City. “What in the world are you taking?” Keith asked as he hefted my duffel bag into the back seat of the car. “It’s only one night.” And thirteen hours in the Quiet Car, round trip. “Oh, just sundries,...
High Winds
Last Wednesday afternoon, a storm packing high wind gusts blew in, downing trees and deck furniture. Our dogs sought comfort from Keith—I was in Charlottesville—and hid in the basement. On my drive home that day, and upon arrival, I found evidence of the storm’s...
I saw a Bear!
Did you ever play this game in Scouts? Everyone lines up shoulder-to-shoulder with the troop leader at the left end of the line. The leader says, “I saw a bear,” and the scouts ask, “Where?” Then the leader makes a big gesture, pointing left arm far to the right,...
Ten Thousand Mulligans
The wind howled as I pulled into the Barracks Road parking lot in Charlottesville last Thursday afternoon, I told Keith at dinner that night. As I parked the truck, I heard the rattle and clang of a run-away grocery cart. The cart ricocheted off two on-coming cars,...