Pianissimo
Last weekend, Homes and my father-in-law drove to a friend’s house in Mendocino and came back with a piano. But wait, there’s more. We already have a piano. The old piano is awesome in character and appearance. It’s at least a hundred years old, I’m sure, with a marbly-looking old wood that goes perfect in … Read more
In Ancient Egypt
Sometimes Z asks for a tried and true favorite for her nighttime lullaby. “Loch Lomond,” “All the Pretty Little Horses,” and “Ally Bally” are popular right now. For awhile it had to be “O Holy Night,” sung about four or five times. But occasionally she’ll throw me a loop, and request a song about a … Read more
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain When She Comes
Z has this great little distractor, an old Leap Frog alphabet thingie. Z calls it her “Letters.” She spells her name on it, which was kind of cute the first hundred thousand times. It looks like this: It sounds like this: “Try pressing a letter!” “Press a letter to hear music!” “Press any letter to … Read more
She’s a Maniac, Maniac on the Floor
There’s a very good reason my parents didn’t name me Grace. The reason became clear in ballet class when I was six, and the instructor kept having us count to eight while we lifted our arms in (not-so) graceful arcs, and then count to eight as we lowered our arms in (not-so) graceful arcs. I … Read more
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
Why, oh why did the Internet eat my book review? I shall have to start again, but I warn you, I’m not quite as excited to do this a second time. The set-up: Lennie’s used to following her older sister, Bailey, around. Bailey has all the experiences with boys and doesn’t seem afraid to live. … Read more
