As many of my reader’s know, I live in a very small, very old house, which is why I have a soft spot for one tiny 600-square-foot Ballard home. If any house could tell a story, it’s Edith Macefield’s house. In 2006, Edith made headlines around the world when she refused to sell her childhood […]
House
Timber!
Of all the trees we could’ve hit, we had to get one that hits back. ~J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Alas, poor Poplars. We knew thee well. But last Friday: Timber! Down they both came. All sixty feet of them. Thank you Ballard Tree Service for doing such an awesome job […]
When you wish upon a star
This morning I read Baby Bird a new book, Olivia and the Fairy Princess. She loves the original Olivia and I’d heard great reports about this book too. In this book, Olivia is having an identity crisis. There are too many ruffled, sparkly princesses around. She wants to do more than just fit in. She […]
Cultivating privacy
When I first moved into our house, pre-addition, the back deck jutted out mere feet from the rental house next door. To say that their house was something of a “party house,” at the time, would be an enormous understatement. I stopped counting how many times Big Papa knocked on their door, bleary-eyed late at […]
Here comes Mr. Cottontail
Every year since Big Papa and I have been together, the Easter Bunny magically appears on Easter Sunday. We discover chocolate eggs hidden between the chives and peeps perch on the birdbath and birdhouses. Occasionally, a close relative of Mr. Bunny can be found sunning himself on a branch in our plum tree. This year […]
Keeping the baby alive
Lately, when people ask us “Are you excited?” we respond, jokingly, “Yes, and scared too. Once she’s home we have to keep her alive.” Big Papa and I are parenting newbies. We are clueless about most things baby-related. When does she sleep or nap and for how long? What does she eat and how much? […]
Gold, Frankinscence and Myrrh
Big Papa and I decided to turn the volume down on Christmas 2010. It’s the first year since we’ve been together that we’re not putting up a Christmas tree and the second time we’ve put the kibosh on presents to each other, save a few small treats in each other’s stockings. Two years ago we […]
Happy things
Eleven months ago, Big Papa and I started a new habit. Every night, before we go to sleep, we take turns and share a few “happy things” from our day. Then we offer an “appreciation,” something about each other that we are grateful for. I came up with this idea to counterbalance the frustration, fears […]
Home sweet home
This fall marks twenty-five years of Seattle living for Big Papa and I. I moved here after a three-year stint in the San Francisco Bay area, hitting the dusty trail to head north for a Ph.D. program at the University of Washington. Big Papa, a few years younger than me, was heading across country, from […]
Secret gardens
Columbine danced in the sunlight, a sea of little fairy flowers all dressed up in brilliant purple. Six-foot tall rye grass swayed in the breeze, fronds making a swishing noise as they brushed against each other. Birds flitted and tweeted with delight through the abundant greenery. Hundreds of bees buzzed and hummed as they made […]