[To be published in Kitchen Table Quarterly, Jan 9, 2024] Purple-black and plump, still warm from the vine, like dandelion flowers or a sacred dusty crow feather in a child’s sweaty hand. I am treasure-seeker, willing to brush off soil, cut off moldy rind, reach through brambly thorns, past the green, yellow, orange and even […]
Archive for the ‘Reminiscences’ Category
A Handful of Blackberries
Posted in blackberries, Pacific Northwest, Reminiscences, summer on July 16, 2021 | 2 Comments »
The Skate House
Posted in Falling in Love, Menopause, Reminiscences on October 23, 2016 | Leave a Comment »
Each childhood winter, when the field behind the elementary school froze over, I dreaded the opening of the skate house.
If we could have spoken tonight
Posted in Cooking/Food & Wine, Falling in Love, Flowers, Reminiscences, Young Love on May 11, 2015 | 2 Comments »
I’d have told you that I spread honey, then sprinkled cumin and the lightest dusting of cinnamon and chili oil on cod filets tonight. To finish, I squeezed fresh limes instead of lemon. The kitchen smelled like your fingers after you made me come describing our scents.
Time Travel
Posted in Camp, Finery, Friendship, Grandparents, Natural World, Photos, Reminiscences on February 8, 2015 | Leave a Comment »
I store my memories externally, in photos, belongings purchased during special times, gifts, books I once read or taught from, poems, and sometimes journals. One year I journaled on pages that I first painted, the colors and uneven texture of thickly painted paper eliciting words and phrases that had not emerged on crisp white sheets. […]
Bernie Weiss’ Soup
Posted in Cooking/Food & Wine, Men, Relationships, Reminiscences on September 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Every autumn, as the shocking color of orange drenches store shelves and windows, bags of candy nestle side by side with back-to-school supplies, I switch gears to fall menus. I pull out my recipes for chili and stews and whatever else will simmer all day in the slow cooker that has been empty since last […]