There are three birdbaths in the back yard, and we hadn’t seen much action at any of them this summer. That changed Tuesday afternoon, when the big one with the Water Wiggler suddenly became the place to be. It was robin versus starling out there. Also, starling versus starling and, apparently, starling versus birdbath. … Continue reading Raucous Ruckus
Death of a Grande Dame
My aunt died this week. She and her three sons and two daughters-in-law had gathered for birthday-eve dinner at the yacht club. They’d been having a lovely time until it became clear Aunt Norah was becoming unwell. There followed the Heimlich manoeuver, CPR, paramedics, ambulance, ER, ICU, the EEG that offered no hope at all,… Continue reading Death of a Grande Dame
Summer Pleasures
Each of the seasons in Michigan comes with its own pleasures. Summer is at its height now, and its pleasures are sweet. A favorite among them, for my husband and me, is the Dexter A&W drive-in–a major part of the fun lying in the getting there and back. Two-lane back roads take us… Continue reading Summer Pleasures
Jack and the Art Fair
Our nephew, Jack, and his husband, B.J., spent some time with us last week. They came for the art fair. Each July, barring a pre-vaccination pandemic, about 400,000 people come to Ann Arbor for the art fair. As the population of the town itself is under 120,000 souls, this represents a major infusion… Continue reading Jack and the Art Fair
Being on Beaver Island
Carol had warned Marilyn and me, before we joined her on Beaver Island, that Lake Michigan was still cold. She did not exaggerate. Marilyn and I found that the pause and gasp generally experienced when cold water reaches one’s torso occurred when the water hit the arches of our feet. Carol said that, when… Continue reading Being on Beaver Island
Getting to Beaver Island
Marilyn and I drove north last week to meet Carol for our sisters weekend on Beaver Island. En route to Charlevoix, I saw two things I’d never seen before. One was car-carrier trucks with just a few cars on the trailer. We did see one fully-loaded car carrier, but another ahd only… Continue reading Getting to Beaver Island
Normal People, Weird Food
Janice and I were celebrating the freedom of having been vaccinated by going somewhere together in the same car. Our destination was the Container Store, which both of us thought would be fascinating, and it was. Even more fascinating was something Janice said when looking at a small, two-section food container. “I’d put carrots in… Continue reading Normal People, Weird Food
Intensities
The dog hurt his knee while running around wildly, leaping, and barking at the dogs next door (who spend their time barking yo mama jokes at him until he can’t take it anymore). Now he’s supposed to be resting while he heals. Only he doesn’t know that. He thinks I’ve gone lame, and not in… Continue reading Intensities
Beebalm, Bergamot, Monarda
Gardens are a means of time travel. You only need to be close enough to a garden to smell what’s blooming to know this is so. The scent of lilacs, wafting on a spring breeze, transports me to early childhood. Mom and Dad had planted a row of lilacs and other flowering bushes in… Continue reading Beebalm, Bergamot, Monarda
Cicadas and Safe Places
According to a Michigan State University entymologist, Washtenaw County is the favored Michigan location for Brood X seventeen-year cicadas. Throughout our neighborhood, we have cicada emergence holes, exoskeletons, and cacophonous jubilation. People have mixed feelings about all this. One neighbor in particular is less than thrilled. Her yard is like other yards. In… Continue reading Cicadas and Safe Places