Monthly Archive: April 2006

28
Apr
2006

TODAY IS THE FIRST FRIDAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE

On April 28th, 2004, the sun was shining in an electric-blue sky and Anders was gone for a week to Italy, which meant I had to take the kids with me to choir that night. On April 28th, 2005, the leaves were greening, the house was flooded with evening sunshine and an airplane had delivered a loved one safely home. Also, the children did not have headlice. On April 28th, 2006, the sun has been shining all day in an electric-blue sky, and Anders has been gone for a week to Italy, which meant I had to take the kids...

27
Apr
2006

POETRY THURSDAY

I have rain on the brain. This is not an unusual state of affairs in southern Sweden, where it rains a LOT. The Pacific Northwest ain’t got nothing on us. The saying, “April showers bring May flowers” was actually invented in Sweden, but the original goes more like this: “January, February, March, April, May and sometimes June showers…” It rains an average of 164 days a year in Sweden. More in the south, I’m pretty sure. My fingertips are permanently raisined and we won’t even talk about my hair. So without further ado, I present 3 excellent poems about rain....

26
Apr
2006

MOVE ALONG, THERE’S NOTHING TO SEE HERE

I want to write, but I can’t seem to get going. I can’t seem to find a subject or a story or a line of words in a row that will stoke the engine and prime the pump. Have I run out of words or just out of steam? Maybe I’m just in reading mode. Maybe I have lost a part or worn it out. There’s no ork in me. I like the word ork. I can’t even think what the correct translation is in English. It’s not really motivation, and it’s not really energy, although it has elements of...

24
Apr
2006

THE PICTURE NEXT TO DISREPUTABLE IN THE DICTIONARY

All the cats in my life, from the time I was a child, have been, for the most part, well-groomed and personable. Sure, they had their little quirks, but they were generally approachable and polite. Tish was the first in a long series of Siamese that became a part of our family. She traveled with us to Europe and back again six years later, and lived to the ripe old age of 17. We added more Siamese to the household over time, some strays, some not, a string of loud-mouthed, lovable characters that populated my childhood and teenage years: Woodstock,...

23
Apr
2006

WHERE I WAS WHEN I WASN’T WITH YOU

On Thursday night we drove 4.5 hours north to Sotens Fiskeby, a little sommarstuga village on the rocky western coast of Sweden. The coltsfoot are blooming, faking me out with their dandelion-like faces, and all the willows, large and small, are full of pussywillows. There were maybe a handful of other people there, since it is well before the season starts and it was very quiet in the village. We explored the next morning and climbed the rocks behind the cottage up to the highest point on the island. We went to Nordens Ark, a lovely and wonderful zoo that...

20
Apr
2006

POETRY THURSDAY

I love Marge Piercy with a huge, fierce love. If you’ve never read her, you’re missing out. The poem below is a long-time favorite that gives me shivers every time I read it, because the imagery is so powerful. It makes me remember what it is to fall in love, and how it is in the beginning; the huge heat that is generated. Can you see the speaker? Glowing as she walks? When I read it, I feel warmer. I put my hands out and hold them close to the flames. I Am A Light You Could Read By by...

19
Apr
2006

WHAT I WOULDN’T GIVE

for her fierce hugs, for her animated faces, for her bouncing, never-stop boisterousness for his twinkle, for the chance to make his dimple appear like a blinking star in the velvet expanse of his cheek, for his concentration and creativity for his hands on me, his arms around me, his careful, thoughtful ways that fill up my days and make my home a haven for her quiet smile, and her wise words, for her harmony: a subtle soprano to my supporting alto, and the chance to let our lifelong friendship blossom into maturity through closer contact for a warm, furry...

18
Apr
2006

PATIENCE IS GOOD ONLY WHEN IT IS THE SHORTEST WAY TO A GOOD END

I am not a patient person at the best of times, although I have been known to wait, on occasion, with grace and graciousness (despite, or in spite of, any internal seething that may or may not take place). Things I hate waiting for, among other things, include: traffic jams when I can’t see the reason for the holdup my children to hop to it and do whatever it is I’ve asked them to do people to arrive at a designated time my husband to come home whenever he’s out bedtime certain writers to update their journals (hint, hint) a...

17
Apr
2006

ROUNDUP

Last week was a 4-day work week, because we got Good Friday off. And this week is a 4-day work week because we get tomorrow, “the day after Easter,” off as well. But! It’s also a 3-day work week because we are taking Friday off and going up to spend 3 days relaxing on the cliffy coast of western Sweden north of Gothenburg. Hopefully, we’ll be able to meet up with studiozoe as well, one of those days. I am still feeling guilty and embarrassed because of my mistake last week. It was a result of too-many-Traceys syndrome. See, I...

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