I just reread Richard Russo’s Mohawk. Russo is one of my favorite writers, and his usual small-town subject matter fits where I am right now, this blue-collar town, struggling to redefine itself after the collapse of most of the local industry. I’ve never lived here, this place where my parents were born and where they [...]
Family
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I quote myself: “As the child of two librarians, one of whom worked in rare books and special collections, I don’t have family stuff so much as a museum and archive.” So when I’m at my parents’ house, I dig around. This time I found some scrapbooks. Steve wrote about the contents of one of [...]
I’m still thinking about place. Where I am now, the overwhelming majority of businesses are national chains. Their existence is described approvingly with definite and indefinite articles, e.g.: “We got a Target,” “The Wal-mart has the cheapest coffee filters.” To urbanite me, these businesses are uniformly bleak and depressing. There’s nothing unique, nothing local, nothing [...]
My great-grandmother had this chair on her porch: I don’t know who had this one, which looks like my great-grandmother’s chair’s twin, but it shows up on page 34 of Cottage Living magazine, in their “Fresh Ideas 2007″ issue: And I was amused, and so I share with the internet. From this and other recent [...]
My great-grandfather’s handkerchief box: He was a farmer, and a lodge member. Inside are two bandanas, various receipts, lodge jewelry, a card from the Maryland Horse and Mule Company, and my favorite item, his business card. It has what I’m thinking is a philosophy of life inscribed on the back: Kwityourbellyaken. Y’all — what are [...]
