there is an invisible lineit runs through, underneath our feet, a schism betweenus and them, north and south, right and left, one side for and one against this line has not always been to have it there actually is a surprise, as I really thought we were immune to the lunatic fringeand I was wrong, few are immune to that unbridled ignorance and narcissistic greed,with … Continue reading the family divides and that line
After we stood around the counter, buffet style plates of turkey, beans, squash, potatoes, and stuffing, while MsB said grace, after our Thanksgiving feast, like four beached whales with our full bellies, out on the front porch in Dodge. A warm October evening, I listened to Dad, MsB and Lex discussing the dismantling of colonial and Confederate figures and symbols, I sat quietly, said nothing, mesmerized … Continue reading A Feast Of Fall And Racism
Standing on the covered porch, with that old Oak Tree for shade, awaits a woman who saw two wars, and whose ancestors bloodstain from the civil war lay in the closet in the hall. The tobacco barns off in the fields, as time went on, leaning more and more. Along dusty roads my Dad spent his youth as we drove by those places that defined … Continue reading From This Place Am I
It felt strange, to speak up and make my presence known, seemed tantamount to talking to the TV, yet, I forced myself to say “that’s my stop, it’s after the A&W“. To which the copper-haired girl turned her shiny black cat lady sunglasses towards me, and I felt exposed. With her alabaster skin and the stud in her lip and her worn leather jacket. The older … Continue reading Why I’m Keeping My Mouth Shut For Christmas
And now abideth faith, hope, and love, even these three: but the chiefest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 It was 3:30 AM and my legs were aching. Just finished two full out on the go day’s at work. Difficult days. Stressful days, filled with many complicated puzzles. But good, real, real good. I work with a team that makes it, a dare I … Continue reading Her
“There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with people. Given a story to enact that puts them in accord with the world, they will live in accord with the world. But given a story to enact that puts them at odds with the world, as yours does, they will live at odds with the world. Given a story to enact in which they are the lords of the … Continue reading The Logistics Of Change, Lessons, And The Pursuit Of Happiness
You know Mom, sometimes I wonder where I came from. If I didn’t look so much like Dad, I swear, you’d think you found me in a trashcan in upper state New York on your way back to North Carolina from Canada, after a visit with Grandma & Grandpa. Really. You remember that argument we all had in the kitchen that night? About Sikhs in … Continue reading Arguing With Your Parents Over Politics
Hockey in Canada is BIG (case ya didn’t know). This week THE HOMESTEAD was all abuzz as my oldest niece on Sunday won Gold at the Women’s Hockey Association Provincials’. Dang, it’s for me beyond words and I’m so incredibly proud. With stick in hand, this young girl defends the line for her team. Watchful, patient and determined, she is a true team player. For … Continue reading Growing Up With A Stick In Her Hand
My sister and I are as different as night to day. She is 5 years younger than me, and the story goes that apparently Mom after sex had to stand on her head in order to get pregnant. I came too quickly, and Lex they had to perform a circus act to prompt out. And today nothing has changed. She still resides in the small … Continue reading Of Two Sisters
Out my window everyone is all rush, rush, rush…go here, go there, rush over there, than back home. I watch as a carousel of humans stream in and out of the bank parking lot, which constitutes my view. It’s a rainy Saturday in The Village. As I sit here writing this, all I can think about is… “I don’t want to go out in that“. Ugh … Continue reading On This Rainy Solstice Day
We are different, my sister and I, but we’ve grown together over the years. It’s funny how time, space, and shared loss, and at one point or another, you find she has become essential. No longer the annoying hunk of flesh that your Mom’s loins disappointingly gave forth, but the voice on the end of the phone who knows all the essential details of your stories. … Continue reading My Sister and I
Last evening, once I had written my post, and settled down from yesterday’s ordeals…my sister calls… gotta listen to this song she says. [featured photo is me and Mom – c1970 – I was 3] Earlier she had done my, hit random and ask your question to the music “thang”…and this is what it gave her ~~ Coldplay’s latest album ‘Mylo Xyloto’ released in 2011 … Continue reading Living Amongst Gravestones and Ancestors
The Homestead has a new addition…her name is Stella. She is a 16 week old bundle of puppy goodness…with gigantic paws, and gangly legs. She is a hybrid/mutt…part this part that…just like her golden cousin, Irish. With her long legs, and her big, ol’paws, to say she looks awkward is an understatement…and of course as cute as a button. From her puppy dog eyes, down … Continue reading Stella, the Black Irish Lass~y
by PaulaB 