Author Archives: letters

I don’t know anything about Dante. I know he described the Inferno and the sign leading into it that read, “Abandon hope all ye who enter here.” I vaguely understood that there were circles of hell where things went (as … Continue reading →

It was nearly dead when I moved in. The Peace Lily was sad and brown and had ceased to bloom long ago. It was in the same unattractive green pot it had been in when I purchased it at a … Continue reading →

I’ve decided to rent out my house. There are lots of sensible reasons to do this. I have two more years in graduate school. I could use the money. The house sits empty all winter and my father tells me … Continue reading →

Milo has gotten fat. Of course, our vet does not put it this way. Milo’s veterinarian is sensitive and well-informed. He discusses the potential for joint stiffness and the possible treatments and their various advantages and disadvantages and the fact … Continue reading →

Milo spent the day tracking dinosaurs. We are camping in northern New Mexico where, according to the signs in the state park, dinosaurs left their tracks. We pulled in late— too late to see our own tracks, never mind the … Continue reading →

I’ll be home for Mother’s Day. School is over for the semester. My obligations as a teacher and a student are, temporarily, finished. For a little while I go back to being a person without a schedule. It is a … Continue reading →

My cat Lucy left me last night. Lucy’s health had been failing for several months. She got much better for a few days and then she got a lot worse. Then she rallied one final time when I thought she … Continue reading →

It is the end of the semester. While I have missed the spring blizzards at home, the weather is still cold and blustery. Everyone is getting a little short-tempered. I decided I needed something to look forward to when the … Continue reading →

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Lucy’s health has been going steadily downhill. My cat’s age was listed as “mature” when I adopted her, eight years ago, and she has always had health problems since she was found in the woods with … Continue reading →

This weekend Vince’s bush burst into flame. Vince is our next-door-neighbor in the quiet neighborhood where I rent a room, not far from the university. I was sitting at my desk, pretending to write (which takes more time than the … Continue reading →