I have pies to bake and cleaning to be done, and a family Thanksgiving coming up to enjoy, but I can hardly think about those things because…puppets! Tickets went on sale yesterday for the 2019 Chicago International Puppet Festival, and I can’t wait to sift through the whole lineup, plan a schedule and get my tickets. And I really, really, really (really!) can’t wait to see some puppet theatre. Continue reading
God’s wrath
Nature’s fury
Human hatred anger cruelty
My family safe, untouched
brown air
forests in flames Continue reading
If you’re one of the 98-99 percent of U.S. residents who isn’t a full-blooded Native American, immigration is your family story. You might be the first generation in the U.S., or you might be the 10th; but somewhere back in your lineage you’ll find immigrants.
And chances are, you’ll find immigrants who were belittled, shamed and made to feel like outsiders. Even if your ancestors were among the first pilgrims, and might not have faced that on this new continent, think about why they came here. They were belittled, shamed and made to feel like outsiders elsewhere.
Poet José Olivarez is a first-generation Mexican-American, and shame and the quest to belong are very personal themes to him. Continue reading
Snow settles softly
on grass
on trees
on fenceposts
nestles in the foliage
red green yellow leaves cup it in their palms
first snow
silent snow
god’s hush descending to earth
It snowed yesterday morning. It wasn’t exactly the very first snowfall of the season—not the first snowflakes, anyway—but it was the first to accumulate. It also was the first on a weekday and during rush hour. It put me in a grumpy mood walking out of my house; there was nothing I wanted less than to drive to work with snow falling.
By the time I was halfway to my destination, I felt differently. It was an absolutely lovely winterland/wonderland. All of the trees and bushes were coated in snow, but their still-clinging leaves peaked through. Continue reading
As promised and predicted, with Halloween over I am watching the local wildlife have its way with my pumpkin. That’s my squash in the photo above. Squirrels were trying to take away pieces of it within an hour of its arrival on our front porch on Halloween, and I really wasn’t able to protect it for long. Thankfully, they started by expanding one ear into a gaping hole—in other words, a part of the carving that faced to the side. But now…just look at it. I came home from running errands today and discovered that it had been dragged all the way off the porch to the sidewalk and tucked partially in the garden foliage. I righted it and moved it fully into the foliage, then left it to rot and continue providing food for critters. Continue reading