PinnedHow to Make Friends and Influence NobodyStep one: Arrive early to the party, so early that the host hasn’t even put the chips out yet. You’re trying to be polite, but now you’re…Nov 19, 2024Nov 19, 2024
PinnedPublished inZeniteMagic, Your Cousin’s Cigarettes and Mashed PotatoesWhen you were a kid, Thanksgiving was magical. Not in the “Disney” way — there weren’t fireworks or talking animals — but in the way, you…Nov 26, 202423Nov 26, 202423
Two Divorcees, a Bag of Peas, and Some House Wine.You don’t recognize her at first. Which makes sense, because you weren’t looking for her, not here, not now, in the frozen foods aisle of a…Dec 23, 202413Dec 23, 202413
Published inBelovedMy Mother, Holiday Cheer, and the Ghosts of Christmas PastMy mother loved Christmas the way sharks love blood — with an unrelenting, almost primal fervor that was equal parts awe-inspiring and…Dec 9, 202420Dec 9, 202420
Published inBelovedTreehouses and Ghosts (and Other Things That Haunt Us)For six summers, the pond was the center of your universe. It wasn’t much to look at — muddy, overrun with cattails, its edges littered…Nov 29, 20242Nov 29, 20242
Love You, Miss You, Mean It (But Mostly Miss You)There’s this slow drift happening…Nov 20, 2024Nov 20, 2024
LUKE WARM WATER“I’m leaving for the day,” Robert shouted into the depths of a big hollowed-out tree.Jan 8, 2024Jan 8, 2024
Weeping WillowOn my bike ride today, I passed by a tree that had a split limb hanging from its thick upper midsection. A tree that I was just sitting…Dec 6, 2020Dec 6, 2020