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
Tag: safety
Hover craft
I’ve always walked fast. I was the youngest and shortest of four girls, and ever since I learned to walk, I had to walk fast to keep up in my family of giants. When Tom began to walk again after the stroke, it was slow. One step at a time. He had to think about … read more Hover craft
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
On shaky ground
Friday’s visit to the house was the first time I’d walked out on the lower deck since the tree was removed and broke through it. I thought my feeling of vertigo was strictly emotional. That my sense of the deck as extremely unsafe arose because my own personal foundations had been rocked. It turns out that my intuition … read more On shaky ground
The 11th day of the rice and sugar cult
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
Day 88: A charmed life
I’ve been sorting through memorabilia, and found my charm bracelet from high school. Each charm was supposed to represent one of the meaningful things in my life. There’s one of a woman playing tennis. Well, I tried it for a summer. Spent most of my time chasing the ball. I think the charm was more meaningful because … read more Day 88: A charmed life