I forget when we first heard about Gogol Bordello, a Ukrainian/Russian group that gathered its first few members at a Vermont Russian wedding in 1998. Check out their crazy history here. We liked the music in the movie Everything is Illuminated, but it wasn’t until some Russian friends of ours told us that the lead […]
Fox Snake
First things first. Sara, if you’re reading, sit down and breathe deeply. Yes, this snake was on our property where your girls have played happily and freely, but it’s non-venomous, and it wouldn’t hurt a flea–well, that’s not quite true–it strangulates then eats chipmunks and birds and small rodents. NOT young girls. Are you breathing […]
Worms
Sometimes it’s imperative to stop and smell (wait, maybe the better word is “touch” or “look” for this one!) the earthworms. Liliana’s fascinated with them and holds them up to watch them wriggle. If they’re stiff and gravelly, she says, “Dead,” and lays them back down. Dan says, “Why don’t you eat it?” and Liliana […]
Mother’s Plunge: Retreat and Renewal
Okay, here’s an opportunity for all you exhausted and depleted mothers out there (isn’t that all of us?). I’m disappointed I can’t take advantage of it, but I thought I should tell you about it, in case you can. Karen Maezen Miller is holding a one-day Mother’s Retreat in Sierra Madre, California. Even though she’s […]
Olive Kitteridge
Elizabeth Strout won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction this year, for her loosely related short story collection called Olive Kitteridge. The book is one of the best I’ve read for character study. Each story either brushes up against Olive–the wife of a loving husband, a mother of a stubborn boy, and seventh-grade teacher in town–or […]