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“The Not(s) in the knots speak to me about the less obvious restrictions in everyday life and culture; the dichotomy, the contrast I personally experienced and still do at times. They express boundaries, potential limitations; a reminder that not all is as unassuming as one might think at first glance or encounter. They declare and […]

“Like the tenants in the vineyard, both Maggie and Jared and, in all honesty, many other members of that congregation, thought that the church belonged to them. Many new people were joining and, yes, some of those new people were black, a few were gay, a couple were mentally ill, and a handful were poor. The fruits […]

“Every day, I hear that predictions are unwise. “Climate science is too complex,” people say. As if Thales of Miletus did not receive the same criticism upon correctly predicting a solar eclipse in 585 BC. As if many people did not believe predictions of lunar and solar eclipses as recently as earlier this year. Science […]

“Life is a river of incalculable length, width, depth, and direction. Like the Biblical Jordan which rises in the Syrian hills before crossing the Sea of Galilee, life ultimately dribbles into the Dead Sea, which has no outlet being the lowest point on Earth. But like all rivers, at some point, the ripples flatten out […]

“My granddad gathered up all the small farms in his hand, shook them like a fistful of change, their histories reduced to names: Brownlee, Stitt, Coon Island, Grady. I grew up near Oil Trough, named for the vats of bear grease rendered there. The men bush-hogged the cemetery grass, the markers mowed over so often […]

“I’m writing just after the last weekend of Carnival in Greece, which comes to a close not with an Ash Wednesday but with a Clean Monday. This gives Greeks three days on which to celebrate rather than just a single Fat Tuesday. And it seems to me that, despite all the parades and pranks of […]

“Isn’t there something deeply wrong with this picture? Yes, because it’s probably true. Those of us who take scientists like Guy McPherson seriously, we know the days of Happiness by Worm are on their way out. It’s enough to turn you into a raving maniac, into a person who comes out to yell at robins […]

“Certainly, the days are getting longer, but what I especially cherish is the change in the light, itself. It has a different quality from the low-angled blue-tinted light of winter. As the sun’s position in the sky rises with each passing week, the light becomes more direct. The new leaves on all the trees seem […]

“Greek, Japanese, Russian, French, and British cultures are all familiar to me. I adapt quickly when in a foreign country, reach into my memories to speak the appropriate language, behave in the accepted manner. But I am always a foreigner, a little detached.”—Helen Noakes Waking Point By Helen Noakes SAN FRANCISCO California—(Weekly Hubris)—April 2019—I can’t […]

“The storm once again came into our home when we discovered our adorable little peanut had colic. With that, the normal chaos of newbornhood flew out the window. Ben spent his time living in a diaper and linen swaddle. Between spit up and poops, we spent more time taking his onesies off than anything else. […]