I don't know what made me think I could pluck the exact correct rooster from a coop an hour before sunrise. Maybe that Magical Thinking business. I didn't want him in the dog crate any longer than necessary; dude was... Read more →

There are not many photographs of Elizabeth and me after she was eight. There wasn't anyone to take them for the most part and I'm not big on selfies. However, there is this and it tells all you need to... Read more →

Kitty is counting her granddaughter's fingers, can you see? It seems we've stopped counting fingers and toes as a ritual. We assume everything is where it's meant to be; at least for those of us living and breathing in the... Read more →

I drove north to Starksboro on September 9 with no end date in sight. That's not me; I want concrete plans, or at least concrete foundations. I can improvise on that. The only concrete things I had were the drive... Read more →

It was an albatross, almost all of it, and I don't believe I ever asked for it. This doesn't mean I didn't make those choices; it just means I don't have to continue making those choices. I can stop now,... Read more →

He is a whisper in a dim room in a country where poverty is defined differently. He wears his magic around his neck, and a person might not see the talismans and totems hanging on the walls and from the... Read more →

Elizabeth performed her first airport pickup a little after 8 PM on February 27. Her mother mentioned it was odd seeing a mask or two on the plane. It reminded her of the SARS epidemic where some people wore masks... Read more →

So I can get a Chappaqua station pass? AILISH ELIZABETH MCCARTHY! Right. So you'll pick me up? In what world? The late train? Maybe. **** I'm going to Hunter in the fall. They let me in. Any particular reason they... Read more →

The night after Christmas, the house flipped over, rolled once or twice, and crashed into the marsh. The tail end of 2008 thumped twice, and expired. The remaining residents of 43 Blue Spruce Circle put themselves on life support and... Read more →

Freshman Year - Fall Semester: Lesson Number One: these are not your siblings These are not your siblings. If you were lucky enough to grow up with a room of your own, that time is over. The room you share... Read more →