Rituals of family life

I prefer to write at the kitchen table. This morning, that requires a major clean up—of Christmas cookie-makings:spilled flour, empty butter wrappers, cookie cutters—the angel and the reindeer among them.

Nine ripe bananas tell me I’ll be making banana bread later today. For now, I munch on one for breakfast, as I write.

Writing in the kitchen requires diligence, and will. One must first wipe the counters clean, load the dishwasher, clean the table, and rise early enough to avoid family traffic. Today, I have the window of time afforded between my daughter’s school day and my husband’s post late-night sleeping-in. The dog knows enough to stay in his bed until my pen clicks “done” and my boots go on.

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Enough (and not more)

By SKIP MENDLER

It was one of those much-forwarded emails—like the things that your well-meaning cousin in Dubuque sends you from time to time. But this one caught my eye: the subject heading was “I wish you enough.”

And indeed, it was a heartwarming story; as it turns out, the original (which I won’t reproduce for you here) was written by a fellow named Bob Perks, and can be found at his website ((www.bobperks.com/wish.htm)), as well as various widely scattered locations over the Internet.

But the reason that subject line caught my eye was that I’ve been thinking a lot about that word—“enough.” It has more meanings and implications than you might think at first.

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Sheltering the Star-Beings

The chalky grasses are whispering madly in the vigorous breeze riding this narrow channel of river. My mutt, Bu, has disappeared from view, obscured by the three-foot-high growth along the riverbank, now gone to seed as the season shifts into freeze.

Suddenly, the fluttery flags of goldenrod part and a fuzzy black muzzle appears, topped by two mischievous eyes dancing with dog-joy. I swear he’s smiling, this 30-pound Buddha-being, caught up in the wild world of riparian border and its mysteries of scent and sound, of texture and topography.

When Bu fully emerges, he appears to have donned a blanket of stars. Across the cottony landscape of his coat, tiny goldenrod seeds have attached themselves to the tips of his fur. He is instantly transformed into a magical star-being.

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