NOT THAT EASY

In the spring after I turned ten, Bev and Gus sold the duplex on Raymond to Davona and Lou, a young couple with a baby named Thayer. I wanted to post a sketch I did of Thayer above—the last portrait I would draw for a number of years—but I couldn’t find it it anywhere. I do remember seeing it only months ago, so maybe I threw it away. In any case, Davona and Lou evicted us in short order, and we had to move across the Park. They claimed they were planning to renovate, but I seem to remember…

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CHEATER, CHEATER, PUMPKIN EATER

CHEATER, CHEATER, PUMPKIN EATER

The other day I watched the movie Wonder, with Julia Roberts, on video. There was a scene in which the main character, based on August Pullman, decided during a math test in fifth grade to show…

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CHIEF WANT

CHIEF WANT

I love this picture of Arielle at two, heading out all by herself across a snowy field to a distant playground—a photo that to me embodies better than words can express her adventurous spirit. From A Patchwork Memoir:

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CONTEMPT

CONTEMPT

EARLY BIRD

Have you heard of the snirl
who yearned to learn
at a time when
there wasn’t a college?
It set out in earnest…

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VIGILANCE

VIGILANCE

For the first three years we lived on Raymond, Doug and I shared a small bedroom. Before bed, my mom would set my hair in pin curls with bobby pins; then my dad would tell us a bedtime story about the hair-raising adventures of two kids. And though neither of my...

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HAPPY SPRING!

HAPPY SPRING!

The irises are in bloom! I've always loved them because they remind me of spring in Minnesota. When the city decreed that my little deck had to come down-—and, necessarily, my potted garden—I started taking pictures of my neighbors flowers, so I would always have...

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