Every day I go to a tree, any tree. Around the base, I scatter a mix of sugar and rice. There is no incantation, no prayer, no special method of scattering the rice and sugar. I have done this for 11 days in a row. The ritual is to break my chain of bad luck. … read more The 11th day of the rice and sugar cult
Tag: 2013
Big booties to fill
Been thinking about Grandma Alma again. Alma had a husband who made her promise to keep the family together and then died leaving her with eight small children, no money and a mortgage she couldn’t pay, and then people bought her farm stuff for pennies at auction and some of them never paid her. I … read more Big booties to fill
Think through these things thoroughly
Thelma saw thistles in the thick thatch. Thelma thought Martha threw a booth into Lake Athens. They saw father put the lather on the smooth leather. Those speech therapy authors should be thrashed. Because they can’t write worth a thit. Quoted above are a few of the sentences that Tom had to say as part of … read more Think through these things thoroughly
Not on the menu
Hospital food is notoriously bad and unhealthy. I remember being in hospital in North Georgia in 2007 and the choices were all deep-fried or heavily sweetened. Tom and I eat pretty healthy food, especially in the last three years. We avoid sugar and processed foods, we eat whole foods, fresh vegetables and fruits, we go … read more Not on the menu
The silence of the ferns
It was nearly sunset as I crashed through the forest. I usually make some noise while hiking in areas with bears, wild hogs and snakes, so that they have a chance to clear out before I confront them. Plus, I’d just left a community jam session, and the little bit of sing-along got my musical heart beating. … read more The silence of the ferns
The other secret garden
I finally had a chance to visit the second secret garden of lady slippers in the forest. I missed them last year. The first year when I found them, I monitored their health anxiously. I was worried that someone would discover them and dig them up. But unlike the other patch of lady slippers, they are … read more The other secret garden
The red buckeyes: In the forest
October 20, 2013 I had finally figured out that the red buckeyes would never flourish in our dry, clay patch yard at home. So I carefully dug up the first one and put it into a pot to take to Booger Hollow. Its root had a funny kink, presumably from where I’d broken it as a seedling. I … read more The red buckeyes: In the forest
Secret garden
All along the road and trail, the ground was covered with black char. No green anywhere. So many of our drives and hikes in the Chattahoochee National Forest had been blighted by the sight of that fire. The U.S. Forest Service does annual prescribed burns in the Chattahoochee, and for many weeks afterwards hundreds of acres look barren … read more Secret garden
Better living through plastic plumbing
It’s an odd feeling to look into the guts of your house. To see the secret space where the house’s invisible life carries on through water and drain pipes, air ducts, propane and electrical lines. It’s like seeing a scan of your brain. A little creepy, but fascinating. As of today, our house has veins and arteries – … read more Better living through plastic plumbing
Old guys who can fix things
When Darren’s father got out of the truck, I was dismayed. This plumbing company is a father-son business. I was hoping that Darren was the father and that he was apprenticing his 20-something son. But Darren, in his late 40s, is the son. His father is 75. Now, don’t get me wrong. Donald, the dad, is … read more Old guys who can fix things