It’s the day before Moving Day, when all our belongings will be moved back into our rebuilt house. The last interior work is being completed; the workers were delayed by snow, which made it impossible to drive to our house for four days. The empty house is filthy. When I walked in, the hired cleaner, David, … read more Late-night cleansing
Category: Shelter
The structures that support us, how they protect us, and what is exposed when those give way. Travel as life experience offers dissolution of shelter, both physical and metaphysical – changes in time frames, cultural identity, architectural meaning, technology, tears in the fabric of society
Snow prep
As I finished my workout around noon today, Tina came into the locker room to clean up. “We’re closing. We won’t open again until Tuesday,” she said. That’s how it goes in the mountains. When we get a forecast of snow followed by three days of freezing temperatures, we know that we’ll be stranded at … read more Snow prep
1Mbps????
My biggest accomplishment today was that I got a very low level of Internet service for our house. The service, which tops out at 5 Megabits per second download, is what we’ve had for the past nine years living in the mountains. That’s considered very sub-par by national standards – the FCC defines “broadband” as 25 … read more 1Mbps????
New Year’s Eve in Timbuktu
Dec. 31, 1996-Jan. 1, 1997 In Timbuktu, the world is sand. The streets are sand, the houses are sand, the hills beyond are sand. Timbuktu is ancient; it rose from the sand, the sand has taken the place of time. In the twilight, Timbuktu seems as though it could sink again into sand. I walk in … read more New Year’s Eve in Timbuktu
In the warehouse
I can’t shake the strangeness I feel – in the warehouse, at dinner, driving home, recuperating from it all. We spent the day in Cartersville, which is only about 40 miles, but it felt as though we went on an exotic journey. The town itself is like a set in a Wild West movie. Pawn … read more In the warehouse
An act of faith
I believe in the Light. I believe the Light pulses in every living thing, in every part of the world, in every corner of the universe. I believe that all we see and know comes from the power of the Light. I believe that every life’s purpose is to manifest the Light, in all its colors. I believe that … read more An act of faith
Walking in the dark
By the time I finished all my chores, it was 5:30. There wasn’t much daylight left. I went for a walk. The shortest day of the year. The planet shifts twice a year. Every year. Without fail. Our mountain roads have no streetlights and not much of a shoulder. I strode quickly to stay warm … read more Walking in the dark
Zen and the art of office design
For many many years, I have had a divided self – torn between the practical and the spiritual, the creative and the logical. I’ve tried so many ways to work it – mostly, by giving a chunk of my time to “work” and another chunk to “art. I grew up seeing this division in the … read more Zen and the art of office design
The weight of my books
I’ve been through a lot with my books. They moved across the country from Ohio to Seattle, across the Pacific Ocean to Dubai, then at last across the Atlantic and up the mountain to our house. Between Tom and I, we have many hundreds of books. One of the things we loved about Azalea was the … read more The weight of my books
A roof over my head
Roof is NAKED! the email from my neighbor exclaimed. Fred’s been keeping an eye on the progress of the house repairs and sends me reports. Mostly, he’s astonished it has taken so long. This week, the tarp ripped and the house suffered water damage. It was kept to a minimum only because I happened to go … read more A roof over my head