Beauty – The Weight of My Days

One perfect thing

The day was OK. The day was better. The dawn was beautiful. There was a flaw in the day. At 2 p.m., the guy who did the floor refinishing was supposed to come back to the house and fix some mistakes. They hadn’t realized that our upstairs loft has no subfloors, so when they coated … read more One perfect thing

Before dawn

The day started out pretty well, even though it began with less than six hours of sleep, at 4:40 a.m. I got up at 5:30 and did all the good-girl things first: I wrote, I ate breakfast, I took time to admire the beautiful sky and its hazy crescent moon. I made a huge effort … read more Before dawn

Mark of the maker

The two women held up a large item partially encased in bubble wrap. “Where does this go?” they asked. I stared. It took a second to recognize the stained glass lamp – because one side of it was caved in. “It hangs above the dining table,” I said. “But … it’s broken.” I was running … read more Mark of the maker

Azalea restored

I pull into the driveway at 9 a.m. – no dumpster filling half of it, no portaJohn on the car pad. I have a lot of cleaning yet to do before the movers arrive. Many hours ahead of directing the crew, unpacking boxes and putting things away. Before the day begins, I want to just look … read more Azalea restored

Unframed

I detest frames, and they detest me. Whenever I try to frame my art, the universe pushes back, hard. This morning I wasted more than half an hour trying to convert a frame with a sawtooth hanger into one with eye screws and wire. I must do this because it is a rule of display for … read more Unframed

Walk in the water

I woke up to gray and I watched the rain and I was glad. Remembering all those months of drought, when I wanted so much just to feel the rain. Today I soaked in it. I walked the city with a casual hand on the umbrella and felt my clothes slowly get saturated. I watched the rain make … read more Walk in the water

The invisible tree

Of all the Christmas trees I’ve decorated, I only remember one. The most beautiful one. I was single, and working at my first newspaper job. I lived alone in a darling apartment, the upper floor of a former carriage house behind a very grand house on Mahoning Avenue. Depression hovered. I was learning to take care … read more The invisible tree

City lights at night

Dark comes so early now – it’s hard to make myself get out and exercise. But the evening was warm, the air moist, a lovely mist had rolled in. I went for a walk in the city. Even that early, 6:15 p.m., the city seemed quiet. Still lots of traffic, but the air itself muffled … read more City lights at night

Random beauty

Some days the beauty is unstoppable You just have to stop for it It began early, with the mist enfolding the newly naked trees That would have been good enough for the whole day The mist lifted, and I drove to our house, where the new roof is being put on this week… In the past, I’ve been … read more Random beauty

The old orange dragon

While cleaning out my closet last Saturday, I took out this vest and decided that after 25 years it was ready for another owner. I have not worn it much – too fancy for casual wear, and I don’t go to a lot of parties. Also, it has orange, which is just not my color. … read more The old orange dragon