When we first went to Afghanistan, we stayed in a guesthouse called Chez Ana on Passport Lane. It was a quiet street that began at the passport office on Salang Wat, and Ana’s was at a little crook in the dirt road. Ana was from Croatia, and she did what she could to deal with the hodge … read more Heavy metal
Tag: beauty
The urban naturalist
Chi-i-i-i-rp! About a month ago, I was walking through Dunwoody at the perimeter of Atlanta, and over the din of cars and the MARTA train I heard a lone cricket. Chi-i-i-i-rp! In the middle of an April day, I really didn’t expect to hear a cricket within view of the gigantic King and Queen office buildings. I was passing a field, … read more The urban naturalist
Poison and prettiness
As I left on my neighborhood walk the other day, I was jazzed about looking for the newest flowers of spring. The first thing I saw was a dead squirrel. This time of year there are many of them. The young’uns don’t know about cars yet, and they dash out into the road, directly under the wheels. … read more Poison and prettiness
German engineering
I own a very fine piece of German engineering that I really treasure. It’s not Xena the BMW (which belongs to Tom). Although, this object has some of the same strength, grace and power in its design that Xena does. It’s my meat grinder. It belonged to my mother, and I think she got it as … read more German engineering
I’ve just seen a face
I was relaxing on the porch, enjoying the morning solitude of Booger Hollow. Thinking about my life and what to do with it. Then I saw a face. A woman. A slender face. Long slim nose, pouty red lips, very high cheekbones, ivory skin. Somehow she looks Japanese. It honestly took me a minute to believe … read more I’ve just seen a face
Don’t be stupid
I came very close to spending $50 today on a product that is ridiculous on its face. Or ridiculous on anyone’s face. I don’t have a lot of spare cash right now. And yet I got suckered into watching an infomercial for face lift cream. The hook? An ad that said, “Tighten and lift a … read more Don’t be stupid
The daily grind
At 8 a.m. today I was grinding. Not coffee. Not my teeth. Not at the proposal budget due tomorrow. I stood for half an hour in front of the grinder, feeling my way with bits of glass. It made the whole day go better. The glass grinder is a fairly simple machine. Physically it’s a big … read more The daily grind
Pandas of the American forest
I just wanted to see one. My emotional state this afternoon needed a strong dose of nature, so I took a hike. And I was thinking about the showy orchid. I’d only seen one before, in all nine of my Appalachian springs. The orchid was an omen I longed for. Just one, to make me happy. I … read more Pandas of the American forest
Scrap heaps
I waded into a quagmire today – and spent six hours in it. It’s been five weeks since the plumbing went to hell, and the pile of wet carpet and water-damaged stuff on the lower deck is starting to stink. Gypsum dust coats everything in the basement and a lot of the main floor, from the drywall cutting for the … read more Scrap heaps
Overcooked
What’s wrong with this picture? Nothing, according to lots of people who saw it on the Facebook page of Robert Elzey. They called this and similar photos that he shot in a local garden “gorgeous” and “beautiful” and “vivid.” I’d call it overcooked. This was apparent even to a non-photographer, who said, “I don’t like the color … read more Overcooked